Editor’s Note: The following report is excerpted from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin, the premium online newsletter published by the founder of WND. Subscriptions are $99 a year or, for monthly trials, just $9.95 per month for credit card users, and provide instant access for the complete reports.
WASHINGTON – There is growing concern that Russia’s nuclear deterrent may now be in jeopardy because the defense industry has failed to meet the expectations of Russian President Vladimir Putin to modernize the military, according to a report from Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin.
Military modernization in Russia is plagued by planning weaknesses, and experts believe it will be difficult to meet those targets.
Sources say that this realization came to light following the failed launch on July 2 of a GLONASS satellite at Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
Underlying this, however, was criticism of the defense ministry’s strategy for projects between now and 2020, which publicly outlined the military’s ideas for modernization. It cited figures which analysts say were uncertain because of a lack of documentation.
“Despite the show of openness in publishing these figures, there is no information on how these numbers are arrived at, or how they will be implemented,” according to a report of the Washington-based Jamestown Foundation.
“Obsessive secrecy surrounding defense planning, combined with the lack of reliable military statistics,” the report said, “is further compounded by a dearth of accountability or scrutiny; in short, no one will be accountable if any or all of these targets are not fulfilled.”
The criticism reached a boiling point in comments made by Deputy Defense Minister Dmitry Rogozin.
“The United States can destroy in a few hours up to 90 percent of our nuclear capability,” Rogozin said.
He said that within the first six hours of an attack, the Russian nuclear deterrent could be overwhelmed due to very advanced U.S. conventional technologies that are coming alive under the U.S. Global Prompt Strike, or PGS, concept.
The PGS is a U.S. military effort to develop systems that can deliver precision conventional weapon strikes anywhere in the world within one hour.
Rogozin said that a solution to this weakness in Russia’s national security would be the creation of “autonomous weapons,” which he wouldn’t explain.
Nevertheless, his comments reflected a serious technology gap between Russia and the West, especially the U.S.
Rogozin said that this gap in defense technology could be narrowed by advancing the work of scientists and technologists to improve the military.
The Russian political leadership is concerned with the manufacturing decline in Russia due to lax production standards. That results in the inability to manufacture high quality, high technology products.
Regional sources believe that Russia’s much-touted efforts for military reform and modernization are failing.
Outwardly, however, Russian leadership contends it’s on track as it reaches out to the universities to seek newly graduated engineers to join the defense sector and promote, what one analyst said, “a revival in the science of war in Russia.”
Keep in touch with the most important breaking news stories about critical developments around the globe with Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin, the premium, online intelligence news source edited and published by the founder of WND.
For the complete report and full immediate access to Joseph Farah’s G2 Bulletin, subscribe now.
