Russia Is Planning a ‘Large-Scale Rearming’ - ny times

[jk]

Russia Is Planning a ‘Large-Scale Rearming’

By CLIFFORD J. LEVY
Published: March 17, 2009

MOSCOW — President Dmitri A. Medvedev said on Tuesday that Russia would begin a “large-scale rearming” in 2011 in response to what he described as threats to the country’s security.

In a speech before generals in Moscow, Mr. Medvedev cited encroachment by NATO as a primary reason for bolstering the armed and nuclear forces.

Mr. Medvedev did not offer specifics on how much the budget would grow for the military, whose capabilities deteriorated significantly after the fall of Soviet Union.

Russia has increased military spending sharply in recent years, but with the financial crisis and the drop in the price of oil, the country’s finances are under pressure, suggesting that it would be hard to lift these expenditures further.

Even so, Mr. Medvedev’s timing was notable. He is expected to hold his first meeting with President Obama in early April in London on the sidelines of the summit of the Group of 20 industrialized and developing countries.

In recent weeks, he has said he is looking forward to the meeting, and both he and Russia’s paramount leader, Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin, have been expressing some optimism about improving relations with the United States under the new administration.

Mr. Medvedev’s comments on Tuesday, though, indicated that Kremlin did not want the United States and its NATO allies to presume that Russia was coming to the table from a position of weakness.

“An analysis of the military-political situation in the world shows that there are a range of regions where there remain serious potential for conflicts,” Mr. Medvedev said. “Threats remain that can bring about local crises and international terrorism. NATO is not halting its efforts to widen its military infrastructure near the borders of our country. All of this demands a quality modernization of our armed forces.”

Mr. Medvedev emphasized that Russia would not be deterred in this plan by the financial crisis....

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/18/wo...dvedev.html?hp

[Guinnesstime]

Re: Russia Is Planning a ‘Large-Scale Rearming’ - ny times

Cold War 2, World War 4, what does this mean?

[goadam1]

Re: Russia Is Planning a ‘Large-Scale Rearming’ - ny times

buy defense stocks.

[GRG55]

Re: Russia Is Planning a ‘Large-Scale Rearming’ - ny times

buy defense stocks.

Correction: Buy Russian defense stocks... [if you dare].

The Russians won't be buying anything from Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, or the Boeing Company.

By the time Geithner, Bernanke, Summers, and Bair gets finished, Obama might not be able to either...but the USA might be able to get a bridge loan from the clients of AIG, whom I understand are all now cashed up. :rolleyes:

[Guinnesstime]

Re: Russia Is Planning a ‘Large-Scale Rearming’ - ny times

Should I start learning Russian as well?

[gwynedd1]

Re: Russia Is Planning a ‘Large-Scale Rearming’ - ny times

Why are we talking about Russia?

World	$1100 billion	2004 est. [see Note 4]
Rest-of-World [all but USA]	$500 billion	2004 est. [see Note 4]
United States	$623 billion	FY08 budget [see Note 6]

http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...d/spending.htm

[Judas]

Re: Russia Is Planning a ‘Large-Scale Rearming’ - ny times

Why are we talking about Russia?

World	$1100 billion	2004 est. [see Note 4]
Rest-of-World [all but USA]	$500 billion	2004 est. [see Note 4]
United States	$623 billion	FY08 budget [see Note 6]

http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...d/spending.htm

Because:

cost and capability aren't the same thing (think $400 hammers),

a more powerful force can "win" in the Pyrrhic sense,

things like this show that our vast sums of money aren't necessarily going into the right places,

our current two wars (and upcoming increases in Afghanistan/Pakistan) are degrading our capability and readiness,

strategically we are being outmaneuvered (see Russia in Argentina, Russia in Syria, central Asian US bases being levered out by Russia, etc.),

Russians aren't sissies and are willing to throw a punch even when that "big budget" is potentially in play,

our economic system is collapsing and is currently held up primarily by another potential strategic foe (see China)

...


Add a few dozen more of your own! ;)

[LargoWinch]

Re: Russia Is Planning a ‘Large-Scale Rearming’ - ny times

This one was a real stunner as well:



My view (which has been debated countless time here) is that:

Cold war; certainly possible.

Open war between nuclear nations; extremely remote.

[gwynedd1]

Re: Russia Is Planning a ‘Large-Scale Rearming’ - ny times

Because:

cost and capability aren't the same thing (think $400 hammers),

a more powerful force can "win" in the Pyrrhic sense,

things like this show that our vast sums of money aren't necessarily going into the right places,

our current two wars (and upcoming increases in Afghanistan/Pakistan) are degrading our capability and readiness,

strategically we are being outmaneuvered (see Russia in Argentina, Russia in Syria, central Asian US bases being levered out by Russia, etc.),

Russians aren't sissies and are willing to throw a punch even when that "big budget" is potentially in play,

our economic system is collapsing and is currently held up primarily by another potential strategic foe (see China)

...


Add a few dozen more of your own! ;)

Hi Judas,

Whoa there that depends on who was doing the punching. The rose revolution does not appear to be the sweet smell of democracy to me.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/15/wo...rgia.html?_r=1

Yet this week, with Georgia under a state of emergency after his government quashed a large demonstration and violently shut an opposition television station, Mr. Saakashvili seemed, even in the eyes of some steadfast supporters, to be ruling with the willfulness of the very autocrats that he once so disdained. Was his true temperament showing, or had the burdens and realities of office somehow changed him?

That state was essentially created by the Western oligarchy and particularly Soros. We know why , and the Russians know why . If we threw Russian interests out of Puerto Rico I would call that the 20 yard line on the US side of the field just like Georgia is theirs. Thats field goal range and its not Russia looking to score. The West just found out that Saakashvili is really a twit who overplays the hand. If at first you don't succeed Mr. Kidd?...

Same goes with China and Taiwan.

[D-Mack]

Re: Russia Is Planning a ‘Large-Scale Rearming’ - ny times

Russia proposes creation of global super-reserve currency


16.03.2009, 15.15



MOSCOW, March 16 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia suggests the G20 summit in London in April should start establishing a system of managing the process of globalization and consider the possibility of creating a supra-national reserve currency or a “super-reserve currency.” The Russian Federation’s proposals for ways out of the ongoing financial and economic crisis and for a post-crisis order of the world financial system have been published on the Kremlin’s website. The proposals have been dispatched to the leadership of the G20 countries, the CIS and international organizations.

“The current global economic crisis points to the need for discarding standard approaches and requires the adoption of collective decisions, agreed at the international level and geared to creating a system of globalization process management,” the document says. Russia suggests “acting with the maximum resolution in order to restore sustainable economic development and also confidence and stability in the financial markets.”

The Russian side believes the summit should seek and achieve accord on the main parameters of a new world financial system. It suggests calling an international conference that would produce the basic parameters of a world financial architecture and adopt international conventions regarding a new financial world order.

Russia believes that the “obsolete mono-polar structure of the world economy should give way to a system based on cooperation by several major centers.”

In the sphere of control and supervision Russia suggests drafting and adopting an international agreement setting global standards of control and supervision in the financial sector – a Standard Universal Regulatory Framework (SURF).


...

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2....2035&PageNum=0

Without being the only reserve currency, they won't be able to have the military of the US.

But keeping a "working" nuclear force with Topol-M and Bulava it might work as a deterrance.

[Judas]

Re: Russia Is Planning a ‘Large-Scale Rearming’ - ny times

Hi Judas,

Whoa there that depends on who was doing the punching. The rose revolution does not appear to be the sweet smell of democracy to me...

If we threw Russian interests out of Puerto Rico I would call that the 20 yard line on the US side of the field just like Georgia is theirs. Thats field goal range and its not Russia looking to score. The West just found out that Saakashvili is really a twit who overplays the hand.

I wasn't referring to revolutions, who is the bad guy, democracy, or played hands. What I was saying is that a US client state with implied US backup (even talks on the table to enter into NATO), US military gear and training, etc. was slapped around.

If your big brother is standing behind you and I walk up and punch you in the nose, that pretty much says "I'm not afraid of squaring off with you OR your brother".

[lakedaemonian]

Re: Russia Is Planning a ‘Large-Scale Rearming’ - ny times

US military dominance of the conventioinal battlespace is at it's highest point in comparison with Russia than at any time in history.

While Russia maintains a credible nuclear triad.......it's conventional forces, and most importantly their force projection capabilities are weak.

Russia is a regional superpower at best, surely capable of conventionally defending(at great cost)itself, and some of it's immediate neighbours....but that's about as far as it goes in my opinion.

Russia still has a LONG way to go to develop a truly professional military capable of surviving and thriving in a 21st century battlespace.

Also, the age of Russia's current conventional military equipment is driving a desperate need to acquire near kit just to partially replace the bulk of it in dire need of refurbishment or retirement.

For the US, the greatest threat to it's continued military dominace lies in it's unexpected loss and wear and tear on existing equipment....requiring dramatically increased procurement of replacement kit long before it's originally anticipated operational life(due to conflict) or the acceptance of lower availability and performance due to cutting corners by overextending the life of worn out systems....combined of course with the unsustainability of US defense spending.

A whole bunch of major weapon system spends are going to get the chop in the next few years....it will be like Jimmy Carter cancelling the B1 times 50.

Unless of course a threat is created to spark conflict, capacity destruction, debt destruction, and new economic activity.

Alarmist media pointing fingers at Russia rearming makes the false "bomber and missile gaps" look trivial in comparison.

[don]

Re: Russia Is Planning a ‘Large-Scale Rearming’ - ny times

When the Soviet Union expectantly collapsed, the M-I boyz went into panic mode. (Remember their nightmarish "peace dividend" :p )

Seems everything has turned out all right after all ;):eek:

[KGW]

Re: Russia Is Planning a ‘Large-Scale Rearming’ - ny times

US military dominance of the conventioinal battlespace is at it's highest point in comparison with Russia than at any time in history.

According to William Lind, who studies these matters in great detail, the U.S. military is at least a generation behind contemporary realities. And, this is in addition to the fact that we are invaders; "we" are not defending our own country.

"Waist deep in the Big Muddy, and the damn fool says to march on. . ."

We are not engaged in combat with the Russians.

[BiscayneSunrise]

Re: Russia Is Planning a ‘Large-Scale Rearming’ - ny times

According to William Lind, who studies these matters in great detail, the U.S. military is at least a generation behind contemporary realities. .

Could you be more specific on this point?