We Are The Champions

[xoxoxoBruce]

Yup, we are the champions, nobody can touch us, we are THE superpower, right?
Well this might interest you.

MOSCOW -- The Russian military will sharply increase the number of new intercontinental ballistic missiles to be deployed this year as part of an ambitious weapons-modernization plan, Russia's defense minister said Wednesday.

Sergei Ivanov said the military would get 17 new ballistic missiles -- a drastic rise compared with an average four deployed annually over recent years. The purchases are part of a weapons-modernization program for 2007-2015 worth about 5 trillion rubles ($189 billion).

Mr. Ivanov said in a speech before lawmakers that the plan envisages the deployment of the total of 34 new silo-based Topol-M missiles and their control units, as well as another 50 such missiles mounted on mobile launchers through 2015; Russia so far has deployed more than 40 silo-based Topol-Ms.

President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials have described the Topol-M as a bulwark of Russia's nuclear might for years to come, and hailed its ability to penetrate any prospective missile defenses. Mr. Putin last week dismissed Washington's claims that missile-defense sites it hopes to establish in Poland and the Czech Republic were intended to counter threats posed by Iran, and said that Russia would respond by developing even more efficient weapons systems.

A rising tide of oil revenues gave Russia a chance to increase its defense spending following a desperate money shortage that plagued the military throughout the 1990s. "The economic growth and the scientific achievements allow us to reach a qualitatively new level in military procurement," Mr. Ivanov said. Russia's defense budget which stood at 214 billion rubles in 2001 nearly quadrupled to 821 billion this year, Mr. Ivanov said.

But despite a steady increase in military spending in recent years, Mr. Putin said last week that Moscow's military budget was still 25 times smaller than Washington's defense spending.

Mr. Ivanov said that a share of weapons purchases in the military budget also has been growing over years. This year, the military will spend 144 billion rubles on new weapons, buying aircraft, tanks and other armored vehicles and four new satellites, he said. Mr. Ivanov said the military now has about 1,130,000 servicemen, compared with 1,340,000 it had in servicemen, Mr. Ivanov said. "We can't go below that," he said.

The Kremlin has rejected liberals' calls to form an all-volunteer army, saying that Russia needs a big draft force to protect its huge territory.

Mr. Ivanov said that the weapons-modernization program would allow the military to replace 45% of existing arsenals with modern weapons systems by 2015. As part of the plan, the navy will get 31 new ships, including eight nuclear submarines carrying intercontinental ballistic missiles, Mr. Ivanov said.

He downplayed recent failed launches of the new Bulava missile being developed to equip these submarines. The Bulava, developed by the same design bureau that built the Topol-M, failed in three consecutive launches late last year. "If we already had commissioned this missile and had failures, that would have been a nightmare," Mr. Ivanov said, adding that launch failures were "within the norm" in the testing phase.

He also said that the government would decide in 2009-2010 whether to start the construction of a new shipyard for building aircraft carriers. Russia now only has one Soviet-built medium-sized aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov, capable of carrying about 30 jets and helicopters.

The pesky Russians ...... didn't anybody tell them we are the champions? 1.1 million soldiers, rockets, ships, a hell of a fighter plane. India just bought 300 of their tanks for a billion. Guess they just ain't givin' up.

[Cloud]

good. THEY can fight the Chinese then and leave us out of it.

[tw]

Read what Putin has been saying. He is right. The US has taken a 'we will attack anyone that we want' attitude. We even listed who we will 'Pearl Harbor' next. We intend to attack (without justification) the axis of evil. We are doing what is necessary to recreate the Cold War. Fortunately for the world, insurgents (that George Jr lies about to call Al Qaeda) have stopped the American 'we will fix the world' agenda.

But Putin has been quietly saying for a long time now that neo-con American is creating worldwide instability. Today he says other nations now need nuclear weapons because of American threats. He is correct. This instability did not exist when containment was reforming the world. Pre-emption is how 'big dics' want to fix the world. And so Russia better damn well get their ICBM fleet modern and stable. Russia (and others) have UG and Ronald Cherrycoke to fear.

Never forget what that Wolfovich paper stated. We may have to unilaterally (Pearl Harbor) attack India, Germany or Russia. That is the neo-con mentality. Russia rightly needs sufficient military forces.

[deadbeater]

Guess Bush Jr want a Cold War of his own, just like his father.

[Ronald Cherrycoke]

What do you expect from a country that is ran by the KGB and mob bosses?