Section: The National Interest (USA)
Russia’s Army Is Getting Ready for the Next Big War (Think Armata Tanks and More)
Dave Majumdar Security, Overall, the Russian military is powerful enough to conventionally deter all of its neighbors in the post-Soviet space. However, the Kremlin still has to rely on nuclear weapons to deter China and NATO. Russia’s new state armament plan, which will run from 2018 to 2027, refocuses the Kremlin’s defense spending...
Russia Almost Built an 85,000 Ton Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier
Paul Richard Huard Security, But it died in scrap yards–a dream to never come true. But the Ulyanovsk is a tantalizing “almost” of history. Moscow never finished the project, because it ran out of money. As the Cold War ended, Russia plunged into years of economic hardship that made building new ships impossible. The Ulyanovsk died in the...
5 Ways (Think Weapons) Russia Would Crush China in a War
Kyle Mizokami Security, Bomber, fighters and more. Although an obsolete design, the Bear is still a capable platform for conducting standoff cruise missile attacks. The Bear doesn’t have to get anywhere near Chinese airspace to loose a salvo of up to eight Kh-101 cruise missiles against Chinese targets. The Kh-101 is Russia’s new...
World War III in Europe: Imagine if the Soviet Union Invaded NATO? This Simulator Does.
Michael Peck Security, Europe It would have been awful–and bloody. From three decades distant, it is easy to forget that the late 1980s were the high point of the World War That Never Was. Both sides, oblivious to the imminent fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union, had deployed the last cutting-edge technology of the...
Here Is How America Can Bring Peace to Ukraine
Doug Bandow Security, Europe If Washington were to take NATO membership off the table, it would remove Moscow’s incentive to keep the Ukrainian conflict alive. The Trump administration reportedly plans to propose a peacekeeping force for Ukraine. The initiative would have a greater chance of success if Washington offered a package that made...
How Russia Could Divide NATO and Win a War
Michael Cecire Security, Europe Countering provocations or pressure by adversary states like Russia should be formulated on Western strengths, and not dictated by the adversary. In September, Russia and Belarus launched the Zapad 2017 military exercises, which saw a snap mobilization of thousands of troops on Europe’s doorstep, stoking...
How NATO Could Accidentally Trigger a War with Russia
Andrew Radin Security, Europe An increased NATO presence in the Baltics could lead Moscow to feel a need to invade, even if the forces deployed there could not realistically challenge Russia’s military. After Russia seized Crimea and supported separatists in the Donbas region of Ukraine, U.S. and Western military analysts raised concerns...
This Was Russia’s Master Plan to Destroy Nazi Germany Forever
Warfare History Network History, Europe In early 1945, Soviet Marshal Ivan Konev executed a stunning offensive against the Germans in the Vistula-Oder area. During the last half of 1944, the Wehrmacht in the east had been forced to cede just about everything it had conquered since the beginning of the war against the Soviet Union in June 1941....
Russia and America Are Conducting Massive Nuclear Exercises (and No One Cares)
Lyle J. Goldstein Security, North America Nuclear weapons exercises in both Russia and the United States go mysteriously unreported in leading American newspapers. Both Russia and the United States undertook major tests of their respective nuclear forces at the end of October 2017. Oddly, that was not sufficiently newsworthy and no coverage...
Wanted: A U.S.-Russia Relationship That Isn’t Dysfunctional
Nikolas K. Gvosdev Politics, Europe The principal agenda item during the Putin-Trump summit is going to be the situation around North Korea—with Trump asking for additional Russian help in containing the crisis. Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have decided to meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in...
