Friday, 16 May 2025
America Age
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Font ResizerAa
America AgeAmerica Age
Search
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
America Age > Blog > World > No changes coming to US nuclear posture after Russian threat
World

No changes coming to US nuclear posture after Russian threat

Enspirers | Editorial Board
Share
No changes coming to US nuclear posture after Russian threat
SHARE

WASHINGTON ― In the wake of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent nuclear orders to his forces, the top military officer responsible for America’s nuclear arsenal said the U.S. has not made any moves of its own.

“I am satisfied with the posture of my forces. I have made no recommendations to make any changes,” U.S. Strategic Forces Command’s chief, Adm. Charles Richard, told a House Armed Services subpanel Tuesday. “All I’ll say in open session is … nuclear command and control is in its most defended, most resilient lineup that it’s ever been in, in its history.”

Richard, whose comment came at a posture hearing on the military’s missile defense, space and nuclear weapons, said he could only say more in a closed session set to start after. Officials largely declined to discuss U.S. or Russian moves in the open session, in light of the ongoing conflict, and Richard testified by video from his command’s Omaha headquarters.

The remarks came as Russian nuclear submarines sailed off for drills in the Barents Sea and mobile missile launchers roamed snow forests Tuesday in Siberia after Putin ordered his nation’s nuclear forces put on high alert over tensions with the West over the invasion of Ukraine.

Russia’s Northern Fleet said in a statement several of its nuclear submarines were involved in exercises designed to “train maneuvering in stormy conditions.” It said multiple warships tasked with protecting northwest Russia’s Kola Peninsula, where several naval bases are located, would join the maneuvers.

In the Irkutsk region of eastern Siberia, units of the Strategic Missile Forces dispersed Yars intercontinental ballistic missile launchers in forests to practice secret deployment, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The military didn’t say whether the drills were linked to Putin’s order on Sunday to put the country’s nuclear forces on high alert. It also was unclear whether the exercises represented a change in the country’s normal nuclear training activities or posture.

Putin’s decree applied to all parts of the Russian nuclear triad, which like in the U.S., consists of nuclear submarines armed with intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear-tipped land-based ICBMs and nuclear-capable strategic bombers. The United States and Russia have the two largest nuclear arsenals in the world, by far.

National Guard soldiers take part in tactical exercises, which are conducted by the Ukrainian National Guard, Armed Forces, special operations units and simulate a crisis situation in an urban settlement, in the abandoned city of Pripyat near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Ukraine on Feb. 4, 2022. (Mykola Tymchenko/AP)National Guard soldiers take part in tactical exercises, which are conducted by the Ukrainian National Guard, Armed Forces, special operations units and simulate a crisis situation in an urban settlement, in the abandoned city of Pripyat near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Ukraine on Feb. 4, 2022. (Mykola Tymchenko/AP)

National Guard soldiers take part in tactical exercises, which are conducted by the Ukrainian National Guard, Armed Forces, special operations units and simulate a crisis situation in an urban settlement, in the abandoned city of Pripyat near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Ukraine on Feb. 4, 2022. (Mykola Tymchenko/AP)

The U.S. said Putin’s move unnecessarily escalated an already dangerous conflict, but so far has announced no changes in its nuclear weapons alert level as the U.S. is trying to discern what Putin meant by the order for his nuclear forces to be at “special combat readiness.”

“It’s not a term of art in what we understand to be Russian [nuclear] doctrine,” a senior defense official said Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity. “So that’s why we’re analyzing it and reviewing it to try to understand what exactly it means.”

The U.S. has not seen “noticeable muscle movements” or changes to Russia’s nuclear posture, the official said.

The White House said it saw “no reason to change” its nuclear alert levels at this time, and President Joe Biden assured Americans they should not fear nuclear war.

U.S. officials and experts have interpreted Putin’s move as bluster, but say he has to be taken seriously, given his unpredictable aggression against Ukraine.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told ABC on Sunday Putin’s decision to put his nation’s nuclear deterrent forces on a state of heightened alert was part of a “pattern” of “manufacturing threats that don’t exist.”

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., on Monday expressed confidence in assurances from U.S. national security officials that America has a strong nuclear deterrent in place.

“Whatever Putin’s rhetoric might be, I think we are further from the nuclear brink than what some of the comments might be because we have made it very clear that [using nuclear weapons] is a line that cannot be crossed,” Smith told CNN.

But Jon Wolfsthal, a former senior director at the National Security Council and former adviser to then-Vice President Biden, said Biden or top defense officials need to make it clearer by calling their counterparts to say they consider the conflict non-nuclear, and that if Putin uses nuclear weapons, “his days are numbered.”

“I don’t think Putin is suicidal, and he knows that using nuclear weapons against NATO would be suicide, but it’s not clear that he knows using them against Ukraine would be suicide,” Wolfsthal said. “So we need to be pretty clear.”

Wolfsthal said Putin’s nuclear saber rattling is meant to reinforce his threat to the West to back off and to cause fissures within NATO.

“We have different allies with different views, and there are those worried about nuclear use in Europe,” Wolfsthal said. “He’s trying to use the playbook he was raised on in the KGB, to try to sow that dissent. It doesn’t mean it’s not true, and it doesn’t mean it’s not a risk.”

Observers have questioned whether Putin is acting rationally, with a former U.S. ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, saying this week Putin appears “increasingly unhinged.”

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., the Senate Intelligence Committee’s top Republican, tweeted last week, “I wish I could share more but for now I can say it’s pretty obvious to many that something is off with Putin.”

Fiona Hill, former official at the National Security Council specializing in Russian and European affairs, said in an interview with Politico published Monday “we’re right there,” in terms of a potential nuclear weapons threat.

“Every time you think, ‘No, he wouldn’t, would he?’ Well, yes, he would,” Hill said. “And he wants us to know that, of course.

“It’s not that we should be intimidated and scared,” she added. “We have to prepare for those contingencies and figure out what is it that we’re going to do to head them off.”

With reporting by The Associated Press.

Share This Article
Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article Belarus president stands in front of battle map indicating Moldova invasion plans Belarus president stands in front of battle map indicating Moldova invasion plans
Next Article Op-Ed: The ultimate sanction: Listing Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism Op-Ed: The ultimate sanction: Listing Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism

Your Trusted Source for Accurate and Timely Updates!

Our commitment to accuracy, impartiality, and delivering breaking news as it happens has earned us the trust of a vast audience. Stay ahead with real-time updates on the latest events, trends.
FacebookLike
TwitterFollow
InstagramFollow
LinkedInFollow
MediumFollow
QuoraFollow
- Advertisement -
Ad image

Popular Posts

Nikki and Brie Garcia Scorching Pictures To Have fun Their forty first Bday!

It is Nikki and Brie Bella's birthday right now, so to honor these whole hotties…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Palestinian President Abbas calls on Israel to resume negotiations immediately

September 23, 2022, 12:15 PM77th United Nations General Assembly in New YorkJERUSALEM (Reuters) -Palestinian President…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Fathom’s income falls 10% as market challenges linger

The corporate’s Q3 income clocked in at $83.7 million whereas internet losses rose to $8.1…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

UN chief asks world for ‘massive’ help in flood-hit Pakistan

ISLAMABAD (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday that the world owes impoverished Pakistan…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

You Might Also Like

Esther Rantzen urges MPs to again ‘strong, safe’ assisted dying invoice in vote
World

Esther Rantzen urges MPs to again ‘strong, safe’ assisted dying invoice in vote

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Trump says folks in Gaza are ravenous and US will handle state of affairs
World

Trump says folks in Gaza are ravenous and US will handle state of affairs

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Trump hails commerce offers as he wraps up Gulf journey – US politics dwell
World

Trump hails commerce offers as he wraps up Gulf journey – US politics dwell

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Polish presidential hopefuls in last marketing campaign push – Europe stay
World

Polish presidential hopefuls in last marketing campaign push – Europe stay

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
America Age
Facebook Twitter Youtube

About US


America Age: Your instant connection to breaking stories and live updates. Stay informed with our real-time coverage across politics, tech, entertainment, and more. Your reliable source for 24/7 news.

Company
  • About Us
  • Newsroom Policies & Standards
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Careers
  • Media & Community Relations
  • WP Creative Group
  • Accessibility Statement
Contact Us
  • Contact Us
  • Contact Customer Care
  • Advertise
  • Licensing & Syndication
  • Request a Correction
  • Contact the Newsroom
  • Send a News Tip
  • Report a Vulnerability
Terms of Use
  • Digital Products Terms of Sale
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Settings
  • Submissions & Discussion Policy
  • RSS Terms of Service
  • Ad Choices
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?