Shocker. Analysts Agree That START Nuke Treaty Goes Easy on Russia
Posted by Jim Hoft on Sunday, December 26, 2010, 10:05 AM
Barack Obama told the American people last week that the START Treaty would help create a world without nuclear weapons.
“This treaty will enhance our leadership to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and seek the peace of a world without them.”
What he meant was it would create a world without US nuclear weapons.
It’s sure is a good thing that this wasn’t amended and discussed before it was rammed through.
Analysts agree that the new START Nuclear Treaty will go easy on Russia.
The AFP reported:
The new Russia-US nuclear arms pact may have been hailed as historic but analysts said that all Moscow really has to do is phase out Soviet-era missiles and warheads that are already out of date.
The new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) was ratified by the US Senate on Wednesday after a passionate months-long debate and given initial approval by Russia’s State Duma lower house of parliament two days later.
It will face two more hearings in Russia and almost certainly come into force within the next few months.
The first nuclear pact in two decades has been feted as vital to global security because it reduces old warhead ceilings by an impressive 30 percent and sets a streamlined new inspection procedure designed to eliminate cheating.
The new START limits each side to 1,550 deployed warheads and 700 deployed long-range missiles — including those fired from submarines — and heavy bombers.
The two sides may also have up to 800 deployed and non-deployed launchers and bombers.
But analysts said that Russia’s real problem was that even these lower missile and launcher ceilings were too high for the country to keep pace with the United States.
Soviet-era missiles such as the Saber SS-22 are rapidly approaching their expiry date and technical specifications mean the weapon has no purpose if its nuclear warheads are taken out of commission.
Independent estimates from the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists said that in late 2009 the United States in fact had 2,200 “operational” nuclear warheads and 2,500 more warheads in reserve that could be activated if necessary.
Russia on the other hand was believed to have had a total of 2,600 operational long-range warheads covered by START.
But the required phase-out of old missiles is not the only thing working in Russia’s favour. New counting rules will also allow it to attribute just one warhead per bomber even if it carries more — a point insisted on by Moscow during the treaty negotiations.
National Defence magazine editor Igor Korotchenko told the RIA Novosti news agency that Russia was now likely to keep just 390 missiles and bombers as it looks to save money ahead of a new round of strategic reductions in 2020.
And Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov saw nothing but the treaty’s advantages as he defended it parliament Friday.
“We will not have to make any cuts to our strategic offensive weapons,” Serdyukov told sceptical lawmakers from the Communist opposition. “But the Americans — they will indeed have to make some cuts.”
“Serdyukov is right,” said Moscow’s Centre for Disarmament Director Anatoly Dyakov. “Russia has already met its launcher obligations. It only has 560 of those.
Hat Tip K. Solomon
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Published May 21, 2012 at 12:19 am - 58 Comments
Kenny Solomon commented:
Hope and change in the shape of a mushroom cloud.
Marry a shoe commented:
Where’s that idiot, Diane Valencon, to defend this bs. B-b-but whitehouse.gov is a repository for all the information regarding START. Geesh, it amazes me that these people are convinced of their own intelligence.
Marry a shoe commented:
That’s Valencen, not Valencon. Doesn’t negate the stupidity!
John commented:
Another of Obama’s steps in the diminution of America. He’s well along on his goal.
Cher Cropper commented:
A world without nuclear weapons. Only someone with a juvenile mentality could ponder that statement for over 2 seconds. Too many people know how to make them even if the world did away with all of them.
succotash commented:
Well the Russians and the rest of the world should really love US now that we are becoming defenseless. Yep,this should work out great since Iran, North Korea,China and others are nuking up.
Cher Cropper commented:
Who of us in reality could actually believe the concept of a world without nuclear weapons? Real foreign policy requires the credible threat of use of force, and I believe the threat of nuclear weapons has kept the world from having great wars like WW1 and WW2 again.
Surely Mr. Obama doesn’t believe the statement he makes of a world without nuclear weapons. START is a tool to satisfy the left wing anti-nukers.
FedUp commented:
Every day with BO and his incompetence, if not downright treasonous behaviour, convinces me that we should start impeachment proceedings tout d’suite!
Pagar commented:
“analysts agree——-goes easy on Russia”
If the treaty was drawn up jointly between the two, who did anything the Obama Administration was going to side with? Has any thing the Obama Administration has ever done been in our favor?
The Elector of Saxony commented:
The only goal of this treaty is to prevent us from deploying missile defense systems. End of story. Obama and his fellow travelers know that if the US can’t shield itself from nuke missile attack, we’ll have to capitulate to Islam, China, the Norks, etc. That’s what they want.
The missile shield systems that Obama bargained away would have protected us from the coming nuke attack from Iran, and of course, he can’t allow the United States to protect itself. When that day comes, I hope the people remember Obama and his treachery…and I hope we’ll know where to find him. (Though I predict he will leave the US and live abroad after his Presidency. He won’t want to live here after he has destroyed our economy and our security.)
Chippy commented:
What a great two years we have had under this regime. Total waste of time! The karate kid president strikes again!
shibumi commented:
This makes perfect sense- Obama sees the US as the greatest danger to the world, so he would naturally back a treaty that has harsher restrictions on our country. In his world, as soon as the US is militarily “neutered” then universal peace will follow, and it will be the dawning of the age of aquarius!
Badger commented:
And the Chinese leaders have been seen rolling on the floor of their large conference room laughing their butts off.
RedBeard commented:
I hope the RINOs who teamed up with Obama are really proud of themselves.
Dick Lugar (an ex-hero of mine), I’m looking at YOU.
Iconoclast commented:
Malfeasance, if not treason, are adequate grounds for impeachment.
greenfairie commented:
Of course…Obama wants to castrate American defense. It will be a wonderful world when only North Korea, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, and China have a modern defense system and we’re stuck back in the Civil War era. The free world will have to rely on Israel and India, and that’s only Obama doesn’t end up taking Israel down too.
Bobbi commented:
Ly Col Terry Lakin was denied his right to “discovery” in his court martial trial and has now been court-martialed. All because the phony judge dismissed his legal right in trial to obtain verification of Obama’s legitimate right to the POTUSA.
I wrote to Rep “Buck” McKeon, incoming Chair of HASC, to hold hearings on this travesty of justice.
Remember, if they determine that Obama us a “usurper”, every bit of legislation he has signed, is VOID.
Russ Weiss commented:
“It’s sure is a good thing that this wasn’t amended and discussed before it was rammed through.”
“discussed…” I’m assuming you’re not referring to the hearing held on June 15, 2010, right?
Daniel commented:
Disgust.
There, fixed that for you.
Byzantine Bob commented:
Be sure to ask the Georgians about trusting The Russian Government…!
http://blogs.venturacountystar.com/greenberg/archives/2008/08/russia_invades.html
mcc commented:
Well, we might be ridding ourselves of those nasty nukes, but look what we’re getting that the Russians aren’t (they’ve outlawed them: they’re “so subversive”):
http://righttruth.typepad.com/right_truth/2010/12/madrassa-pops-up-on-us-marine-base-.html
This one’s just a stroll down the beach from the Obama’s Hawaii compound.
Arch commented:
The 800 Russian missile silos (launchers) can be reloaded. Ours cannot.