PRESS RELEASE
Russia: U.S. Global Missile Defense Scheme Is Preparation for War
Oct. 11, 2016 (EIRNS)—The Russians who spoke at the 7th Xiangshan Forum in Beijing today, reiterated their criticism of U.S. global missile defense plans, which, they say, are aimed not only at Russia, but at China, too. Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov told the conference that while Russia does not accept North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, it is equally concerned about the U.S. deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile system to South Korea.
"[W]e are concerned about attempts of some countries to use the uneasy situation on the Korean Peninsula to boost their military presence in North-East Asia, to deploy new and clearly excessive types of weapons in the sub-region,"
Antonov said. Washington’s decision to deploy THAAD in South Korea
"may lead to escalation of regional tensions, creation of additional hurdles for settlement of the whole range of problems on the Korean Peninsula,"
he noted.
"Deployment of U.S. missile defense systems in South Korea clearly goes beyond the tasks of deterring ’the North Korean threat.’ We do not have any doubts that U.S., with support of their allies, will continue to build up the potential of the Asia Pacific segment of their global missile system, which will inevitably lead to disruption of established strategic balances both in the Asia Pacific and beyond."
"The U.S. decision to create a global echeloned missile shield system is not linked with a response to missile threats from Iran and North Korea. It is conditioned primarily by the desire to achieve military supremacy over Russia and China,"
First Deputy Head of the Main Operations Department at the Russian General Staff Viktor Poznikhir told the conference. In actual fact, the U.S. missile shield is aimed at
"reducing the potential of the Russian strategic nuclear forces and, with regard to the Chinese missile and nuclear potential, getting a possibility to zero it out,"
the general said. As a result,
"Russia is forced to take adequate response measures in order to prevent the U.S. and its allies from influencing the existing balance of forces in the sphere of strategic weapons. As far as we understand, our Chinese partners are acting in the same way,"
Poznikhir said.
Poznikhir charged that the U.S. ballistic missile defense installation in Europe is a violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, because the Mk41 launchers installed in Romania, and to be installed in Poland, are capable of firing Tomahawk missiles. He brushed aside US protests that the launchers don’t have the hardware or the software for Tomahawks, saying that the missing components could easily be re-installed.
"Russia’s military experts say that the U.S. hopes to get a chance due to possessing [the emissile defense system] to deliver a surprise missile-nuclear strike in any region of the world, including Russia and China, with no punishment,"
said Poznikhir. He explained that the means created as part of the Prompt Global Strike concept will allow carrying out disarming strikes on the nuclear forces.
