... Article 5 but also cases of hybrid warfare can do the same. Moreover, attribution is proclaimed a “sovereign national prerogative”, giving cartе blanche to inpidual member-states to name a perpetrator.
Another topic with mixed signals is a NATO BMD, which the Alliance is committed to develop (paragraph 42-44, 52). At first it is restated that BMD is purely defensive, is not directed against Russia, and Moscow is welcome to discuss BMD with NATO. At the same time, it says about the “increasing ...
... strategy of deterrence needs to deal with a range of challenges.
Ballistic missile defenses, offering a promise of intercepting a certain proportion of incoming missiles, by definition, undermine deterrence. For three decades, ballistic missile defenses (BMD) were constrained by the ABM Treaty, which Moscow considered to be a cornerstone of strategic stability. After the U.S. withdrawal from the treaty in 2002, Russia embarked on a program designed to nullify any advantages the United States would get ...
The exacerbation of tensions, mutual pressure and accusations have put a cornerstone Russia-U.S. agreement – the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty – on the brink of termination
For the first time during the Cold War, the parties agreed to eliminate entire classes of nuclear weapons that had been deployed in great numbers and had had a major significance for military planning.
U.S. Army Pershing II in Germany
In its current form the INF Treaty has long been an unfair arrangement since only...
To What Extent Does the U.S. Aegis BMD in Europe Threaten Russia?
In May 2016, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency announced that its ballistic missile defence (BMD) base at Deveselu, Romania, had been put into operation. This marked the second phase of the European Phased ...
... increase security on the peninsula.
As regards mutual nuclear deterrence (this Cold War concept can be observed in miniature on the Korean Peninsula today), there is much about it that defies the traditional definition. The defence systems, notably BMD, while protecting one side, diminish the deterrent potential of the other. Given a high-quality BMD, there may be a temptation to strike first, in order to destroy the bulk of the strategic nuclear force, and then try to beat off a retaliatory strike....
... the mountains, making attempts to destroy mobile missile launchers that have a very good chance of surviving a nuclear strike futile. Obviously, even such specialized anti-missile complexes as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and Aegis BMD cannot ensure 100 per cent interception
[16]
, and nothing less will suffice when it comes to countering a nuclear attack.
North Korea does not need to equip a significant part of its missiles with nuclear warheads. Indeed, it would even be harmful ...
... construction of a similar base in Poland on the very next day. The Polish Aegis Ashore will be located next to the small village of Redzikowo on the Baltic coast, 200 km from Kaliningrad. It is expected to become operational in 2018.
What are Aegis BMD systems? They are the basis of the Obama Administration’s so-called “Phased, Adaptive Approach” to creating the European component of the global ballistic missile defence of the United States and its allies.
The expensive programme ...
Limited War is Back
The anniversary of the Victory in World War II is an occasion to reflect on the danger of a new war breaking out between great powers. The end of World War II ushered in the nuclear era. Ever since that time scholars have been ceaselessly debating two problems
[1]
. First: Is a direct military showdown between the nuclear powers possible? And if so, will they dare use nuclear weapons? Second: Can nuclear war be interpreted according to the Clausewitz formula whereby “war...
...
hit a moving maritime target
. Tomahawk is usually mentioned as an interim solution in expectation of a ship LRASM or another new-generation anti-ship missile, but occasionally there are proposals to make the Tomahawk a
replacement for a ship LRASM
.
BMD: Key Function or Burden?
In the 1990s and 2000s, surface forces, reoriented to meet the tasks of theatre missile defence, managed to avoid cuts to some extent. But now anti-missile defence has become one of the key reasons for the heavy load on surface ...
... strategic nuclear forces of Russia, China and the United States, which are leading the quest for hypersonic technologies. The Americans will realize the concept of a Prompt Global Strike, while Russia and China would be able to surely overcome any future BMD system and engage the nonnuclear version of their strategic nuclear forces during the early phases of a conflict in order to prevent it from escalating.
So far, this concerns technology but not arms because the Russian, Chinese and American experimental ...