Russia added 154 warheads last year as U.S. eliminated 57

Special to WorldTribune.com

Bill Gertz, Washington Free Beacon

Russia deployed 153 strategic nuclear warheads over the past year under the New START arms treaty while the U.S. military pared its nuclear forces by 57 warheads, according to State Department figures released last week.

Russian President Vladimir Putin / Ivan Sekretarev / AP
Russian President Vladimir Putin / Ivan Sekretarev / AP

The increase in warheads by Moscow appears to be part of Moscow’s large-scale strategic nuclear forces buildup.

Defense officials disclosed last week that Russia is doubling the number of strategic nuclear warheads and remains over the 1,550 warhead limit set by the 2010 New START arms treaty. The Russian increases are due to the deployment of new, multiple-warhead SS-27 Mod 2 road-mobile missiles and SS-N-32 submarine-launched ballistic missiles, officials said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry announced last month that its nuclear forces will add 20 new SS-27 Mod 2 missiles, known as Yars, this year. New SS-N-32s, called Bulava by Russia, also are being fielded. Both missiles can be equipped with up to 10 warheads each. The SS-N-32s are deployed on new Borei-class missile submarines.

The treaty requires the United States and Russia to reduce their arsenal of deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 by February 2018. The warhead numbers include weapons used on land-based intercontinental missiles, submarine-launches missiles and on bombers.

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