SECTION 2. DEVELOPMENT OF NEW DEFENSE POLICIES

1. Russian to Strengthen Its Nuclear Potential (Pravda.ru, 1 April 2004)

    Russian State Duma has passed a new law Wednesday regarding NATO expansion.

305 delegates voted for it, while 41 were against, two abstained. The bill was prepared by three Duma's committees (committee of international affairs, committee of defense and committee of security).

The law enables Russia to reconsider expediency of its involvement in International negotiations concerning regular armament and strengthen its nuclear potential in case NATO disregards Russia's position concerning the organization's expansion.

State Duma considers that further relations between Russia and NATO have to be based on the following foundation. "The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has to take into account those concerns of our country regarding the expansion as well as organization's specific moves of strengthening international security and total control of the regime of armed forces in Europe," reports the document.

Otherwise, State Duma will advise the President and the government to take all the necessary precautions to assure Russia's safety.

In the document State Duma also asks the government to hold a meeting of Defense Counsel "to discuss establishment of additional defense facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation that borders with those countries of NATO," reports Interfax.

States-members of NATO "continue to purposely delay" ratification of the OSCE agreement signed in November of 1999 in Istanbul. Delegates notice that this delay could have been caused by the fact that supposedly Russia does not fulfill its promises.

"State Duma accuses such actions of NATO and regards them as an attempt to create illusionary obstacles thus preventing adoption of a crucial control mechanism of regular armament", reads the document.

The document also emphasizes the fact that a certain number of new NATO newcomers including three Baltic States, have nothing to do with OSCE. As a result the so-called gray-zone has emerged in Europe where internationally acclaimed restrictions on particular location of foreign armed forces have no effect. (http://www.pravda.ru/)

2. Russia to Revise Military Reform Plans If NATO Approaches Its Borders (excerpted) (Interfax, 4 April 2004)

    Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said that Russia will revise its military reform plans if NATO's infrastructure approaches the country's borders.

"Four NATO airplanes presently on a patrol mission over the Baltic nations do not change the situation dramatically. But if the alliance continues to build its infrastructure near our border, Russia will likely have to revise its military reform plans which are being implemented now," Ivanov told journalists in Oslo on Sunday.

"NATO's infrastructure coming closer to the Russian borders cannot be explained by international terrorism threats. This is ridiculous," the defense minister said.

[...] (http://www.interfax.ru/)

3. Russian Deputy Chief of Staff Speaks on U.S. Small-Scale Nuclear Weapons (Izvestia, 8 April 2004)

    Russia is treating with great caution Washington's plans to develop small and super-small nuclear weapons, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov said Tuesday (6 April).

"This research could let the genie out of the bottle," Sergey Ivanov warned. "These weapons could disrupt the existing parity of nuclear deterrence and drastically alter the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons. After all, even the smallest nuclear weapons are still nuclear weapons."

"The United States should be the first to raise the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons to the super-maximum level," Yuriy Baluyevskiy, Russian deputy chief of General Staff, believes. "If the nuclear weapons which were formerly seen only as a political instrument of deterrence become battlefield weapons, that will be not simply scary but super-scary. We will be compelled to modify the development of our own strategic nuclear forces depending on Washington's plans for the use of these weapons."

In recent years Moscow has systematically been cutting back on enterprises for the production of nuclear weapons. Of the previous four plants, only two were to have been left by 2003. And even these were to be engaged in dismantling the nuclear weapons taken out of use.

"Russia does not need to conduct additional nuclear tests in the sphere of creating low-yield nuclear devices," former First Deputy Minister of Atomic Energy Lev Ryabev believes. "In Soviet times we viewed the entire range of possible weapons so for us there cannot be any innovations in that sphere. If there is a political decision, then the enterprises which belonged to the Ministry of Atomic Energy system will meet the military's requirements in full."

However, Moscow sees no need for this. It was Sergey Ivanov again who announced on Tuesday that Russia and NATO are prepared jointly to develop new types of weapons, including non-lethal weapons, needed for the fight against international terrorism. That will hardly apply to low-yield nuclear weapons: You cannot resolve tasks of that kind with their aid. (http://www.interfax.ru/)

4. Putin on the Need for Space Demilitarization (RIA Novosti, 12 April 2004)

    Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated the need for space demilitarization.

"We will do and must do everything it takes to demilitarize space and turn it into the arena of peaceful co-operation based on trust, sober calculations and clear understanding of the national interests," the Russian president said at gala celebrations of Space Day.

The head of state believes that military-political confrontation in space would continue for quite a while.

"Of course, we are seeking to stop the space activity from being an area of military-political confrontation. But we all understand only too well that this confrontation is taking place and will last for quite a long time. We mean it and should take it into account in the future," said Mr. Putin.

In his words, the country's leadership realizes that the space activity is one of the most important activities.

"We understand this," said the president. "We understand that the space activity is the most important activity for the country not only because it solves environmental and agricultural problems but also because it is highly crucial for the country's existence." "We will base our efforts on this realization," said Mr. Putin. (http://www.rian.ru/)

5. Moscow Believes NATO May Deploy Nuclear Weapons in Baltic Republics (excerpted) (RIA Novosti, 13 April 2004)

    The General Staff of Russia's Armed Forces does not rule out that NATO may deploy nuclear weapons in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, the former Soviet republics and now the new NATO nations, Yury Baluyevsky, First Deputy Chief of General Staff, said at a press conference in Moscow on Tuesday.

However, such issues cannot be regarded as internal affairs of a Baltic state in question or the United States. "The international community's opinions must not be disregarded," emphasized Gen. Baluyevsky.

Gen. Baluyevsky said Moscow believed the emergence of new military alliances made no sense.

"If we follow the path of creating new military blocs, it will lead us back to the time of opposition between the Soviet Union and later between Russia and NATO, the competition which required a lot of effort and huge funds," said Gen. Baluyevsky.

Speaking about NATO's possibilities, he said that any organization, which involves more than 6 members, was actually uncontrollable.

In comments on media reports that Russia may join the alliance with time, the general said Moscow had not even discussed that question.

It is not that important whether Russia will join NATO or not. Russia does not need to join any coalitions whatsoever to protect itself, according to Gen. Baluyevsky.

However, Moscow is interested in political, economic and cultural cooperation with NATO nations, he noted.

Russia is, for example, creating a peacekeeping unit for joint actions with NATO.

"Russia is raising a brigade, but my opinion is that creating a unit specially for peacekeeping missions is a costly undertaking," said Gen. Baluyevsky.

[...] (http://www.itar-tass.com/)

7. Russia Test-Fires Missile (The Australian, 21 April 2004)

    Russia early today launched an intercontinental ballistic missile in a test-firing, news agencies cited the Strategic Missile Forces as saying.

The missile was fired from the Plesetsk cosmodrome in northern Russia and it landed in the intended area of the Pacific Ocean, the reports said.

The launch's purpose was to test systems at the cosmodrome and to gather technical data on the rocket flight, the Interfax news agency cited the missile forces' press service as saying.

The launch followed two embarrassing failures of ballistic missile launches from submarines during highly publicized naval maneuvers in February.

Later that month, Russia said it had successfully tested a space vehicle that could lead to weapons capable of penetrating missile defenses.

Details remain sketchy, but military analysts believe the device is a maneuverable ballistic missile warhead. (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/)

8. United States and Russia: Collaboration in Missile Defence (Global Security Newswire, 14 May 2004)

    The United States is considering using Russian radar systems and targets in U.S. missile defense efforts, Representative Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) said Wednesday.

The Missile Defense Agency is interested in using Russia's "very good" expertise in constructing ballistic missile-tracking radars, Weldon said. By obtaining access to radars in Russia, the United States could improve its monitoring of potential Chinese or North Korean ballistic missile threats, he said.

In addition, the missile agency would like to work with Russia on producing targets for use in missile defense tests, according to Weldon. He said, though, that it is unlikely that Russia would agree to participate in that effort.

"I don't think the Russians really want to be in a position of having America constantly shoot down what they put up in space," Weldon said. (http://www.nti.org/)

9. Russia Should Develop Missile Defenses, Former U.S. Defense Secretary Cohen Says (Global Security Newswire, 21 May 2004)

    Former U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen has called on Russia to develop a national missile defense system similar to that being developed by the United States, ITAR-TASS reported today.

"It is in Russia's interests" to develop a missile defense system, Cohen said. "I hope we shall try to further cooperate in mutually beneficial defense programs," he added. (http://www.nti.org/)

10. Defense Ministers of Russia, 4 Nordic Countries to Meet in St Petersburg (excerpted) (RIA Novosti, 22 May 2004)

    Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov will discuss connection between NATO eastward expansion and the sped-up adoption of the adapted Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) with his counterparts of the four Nordic countries in St. Petersburg, a source in the Russian Defense Ministry told RIA Novosti.

"Two Nordic countries, Denmark and Norway, are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Therefore, the Russian side will use the opportunity to raise the question of the earliest inking of the adapted FCE treaty in the context of the new NATO eastward expansion of the NATO infrastructures to the east", the source said.

He also specified that the defense ministers of Russia, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland will discuss regional security, the consolidation of trust in the military sphere and the development of bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

They will also consider non-proliferation weapons of mass destruction, fight against international terrorism and ecological security in the region.

[...] (http://www.rian.ru/)