Putin’s show of strength triggers fear of fresh nuclear arms race

What is Vladi worried about to field this? Is it a complement to China’s conventional build-up? Is the old Soviet agenda still in play below the horizon? (Putin WAS head of the KGB when that still meant something.)

VLADIMIR Putin has sparked fears of a new arms race between Russia and the United States by deploying a nuclear ballistic strike force system that officials made clear could penetrate US anti- missile defences. On Christmas Eve, the Russian army activated a new fleet of Topol-M missiles that can fit a nuclear warhead and travel 6,000 miles, changing trajectory to foil any enemy interception device.

The accompanying hawkish rhetoric of the Russian military commanders and the frenetic response of the US navy have stoked concern that the former Cold War adversaries have quietly resumed the arms race.

There’s more in here, but not a whole lot that makes one feel more comfortable. There is at least one bright spot however:

Last month, the US navy carried out its most ambitious and successful test of an anti-missile interceptor, which can be launched from an Aegis class cruiser in the Pacific Ocean. A warhead from an incoming rocket was destroyed 100 miles above sea level – the first time an anti- missile defence has succeeded, in tests, when launched from a ship.

Keep the powder dry!