Russia and Strategic Conventional Weapons

{
  "authors": [
    "James M. Acton"
  ],
  "type": "other",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [
    "Hypersonic Weapons"
  ],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "NPP",
  "programs": [
    "Nuclear Policy"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Russia"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Security",
    "Military"
  ]
}

Other

Russia and Strategic Conventional Weapons

Russian political leaders and military strategists are growing increasingly concerned about strategic conventional weapons, particularly long-range, hypersonic weapons. Some fear that strategic conventional weapons could prove decisive in a major conflict and that Russia is lagging behind in their development.

By James M. Acton

Published on Feb 3, 2016

Source: Nonproliferation Review

Russian President Vladimir Putin must have a special place in his heart for the US Conventional Prompt Global Strike (CPGS) program. Since they were first unveiled in 2006, he has publicly decried US plans to develop hypersonic, long-range, non-nuclear munitions on at least five occasions—including at such high-profile occasions as his State of the Nation address in December 2013. In that speech, he criticized the CPGS program by name and stated that, in combination with US ballistic missile defense, it “could negate all previous agreements on the limitation and reduction of strategic nuclear weapons, and disrupt the strategic balance of power.” ...

This article was originally published in Nonproliferation Review.

Read Full Text

Security Military Russia

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Commentary
Emissary
What If Trump Gets His Russia-Ukraine Deal?
It’s dangerous to dismiss Washington’s shambolic diplomacy out of hand.
Eric Ciaramella
Commentary
Strategic Europe
To Survive, the EU Must Split
Leaning into a multispeed Europe that includes the UK is the way Europeans don’t get relegated to suffering what they must, while the mighty United States and China do what they want.
Rym Momtaz
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
Russia’s Unspoken Condition for Ending the War Is Zelensky’s Resignation
Insisting on Zelensky’s resignation is not just a personal vendetta, but a clear signal that the Kremlin would like to send to all its neighbors: even if you manage to put up some resistance, you will ultimately pay the price—including on a personal level.
Vladislav Gorin
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
For Putin, Increasing Russia’s Nuclear Threat Matters More Than the Triad’s Modernization
For Putin, upgrading Russia’s nuclear forces was a secondary goal. The main aim was to gain an advantage over the West, including by strengthening the nuclear threat on all fronts. That made growth in missile arsenals and a new arms race inevitable.
Maxim Starchak
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
Japan’s “Militarist Turn” and What It Means for Russia
For a real example of political forces engaged in the militarization of society, the Russian leadership might consider looking closer to home.
James D.J. Brown

Russia and Strategic Conventional Weapons

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Kushner and Putin shaking hands, with Witkoff standing next to them

Commentary

Emissary

What If Trump Gets His Russia-Ukraine Deal?

It’s dangerous to dismiss Washington’s shambolic diplomacy out of hand.

Eric Ciaramella

Commentary

Strategic Europe

To Survive, the EU Must Split

Leaning into a multispeed Europe that includes the UK is the way Europeans don’t get relegated to suffering what they must, while the mighty United States and China do what they want.

Rym Momtaz

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

Russia’s Unspoken Condition for Ending the War Is Zelensky’s Resignation

Insisting on Zelensky’s resignation is not just a personal vendetta, but a clear signal that the Kremlin would like to send to all its neighbors: even if you manage to put up some resistance, you will ultimately pay the price—including on a personal level.

Vladislav Gorin

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

For Putin, Increasing Russia’s Nuclear Threat Matters More Than the Triad’s Modernization

For Putin, upgrading Russia’s nuclear forces was a secondary goal. The main aim was to gain an advantage over the West, including by strengthening the nuclear threat on all fronts. That made growth in missile arsenals and a new arms race inevitable.

Maxim Starchak

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

Japan’s “Militarist Turn” and What It Means for Russia

For a real example of political forces engaged in the militarization of society, the Russian leadership might consider looking closer to home.

James D.J. Brown