Tuesday, May 1, 2018


https://journal-neo.org/2016/10/30/more-bang-for-the-buck/

 (New Eastern Outlook) 

It's Ridiculous Just How Much More the Russians Get for Every Billion Spent on the Military

Russian science and engineering are accomplished astonishing results at a fraction of the cost of American weapons

This article was first published in 2016 in Russia Times and New Eastern Outlook, "More Bang for the Buck", so that we can't say we weren't warned about what was coming. Fast forward to March 1, 2018. Putin gives speech about six new sci-fi-scope weapons: 

1) Kinshal hypersonic missile
2) Sarmat, the newest heavy ICBM, which is a low-flying stealth missile which can deliver a small scale heavy-duty nuclear warhead (designed to go over the South Pole), and which Putin claims is invincible against current missile defense systems and counter-air defense systems (it can hit anywhere in the U.S.);
3) Avangard, a hypersonic glide vehicle capable of sharp high speed evasive maneuveurs, and that goes 20X faster than the speed of sound
4) Russian laser weapon
5) Unmanned submersible that is multiple times faster than submarines (which have a top speed in short bursts around 55 mph), and much faster torpedoes.
6) Cutting-edge T-14 Armata tank, which "has no Western competitors".

Putin claims that these weapons have completed the testing stage, and are going into production stage by the end of this year/beginning of 2019.
Putin also spoke about the development of a nuclear-powered ice-breaker, and stated the intention of building a fleet of them. He made it clear in no uncertain terms that Russia intends to dominate the Arctic, which will make the much shorter Northern Sea Route more viable as the ice pack melts with global warming. No denial there.
Their new military defense research center at Arkticheskiy Trilitsnik (Arctic Trefoil Complex) has the latest systems for tracking incoming missiles. It is next to the Nagurskoye military base on Franz Josef Land in the Russian Arctic. Putin cited U.S. continually patrolling the shores along Norway, which puts them in a 15- minute range of attacking Russia with Trident missiles, implying that was the reason for building Trilitsnik. He also stated that The New Siberian Islands now have an aerodrome. See https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/russias-northernmost-base-operational#gs.NNQenH4   

How vulnerable are U.S. aircraft carriers to these weaponry advances? It seems to me that in a hot war they are going to be sitting ducks, especially with the use of drones to track their position. I read a position paper on U.S. (in) vulnerability, which makes me think that Russians also read this, and carried out research to overcome the layers of defense systems that the aircraft carriers have.

Not being any kind of military expert, I still think that the factors that have made Americans feel that we have domination of the seas and tremendous military might because of our 19-20 aircraft carriers (when no other country has been able to afford more than one), must be reexamined in context of the Cold War weapons race that we are losing to Russia.
I have been mulling all this over for some weeks, and I have come to some inescapable conclusions that are deeply unsettling. My brother Bart (who died at age 18 during the one month of the year when we were the same age) and I used to play war games with his large collection of toy soldiers, and act out military scenarios that we read about in military history books (which my father liked), such as pincer movements. I am trying to enter the matter of this scary subject with a light-hearted sense of play, like playing with toy soldiers, so that I have the courage to confront what is happening.

Personally, I think that all of this is insane, building up for more war, but the U.S. has left other countries no choice, if they do not want to be controlled by the U.S. In my opinion, the U.S. is responsible for Russia's preparation for a major nuclear war. However, in a sense, the Russians are playing their game, and it is an old, old, tired game, which will NOT build a safer or saner world. It makes me very sad and very angry, but I will not look away.

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