Russia Thoroughly Undermines U.S. Strategy for the Next 10 to 15 Years

Russia thoroughly undermines U.S. strategy for the next 10 to 15 years: The Americans once planned to build a "Golden Dome" in space, but Russia's unexpected counterattack came as a complete surprise.

The development of Russia's new nuclear weapons (capable of carrying nuclear warheads) has undermined the U.S. defense strategy for the next 10 to 15 years. Commentator Vladimir Shlepenko from "Tsargrad News" has drawn this conclusion. What is clearly referred to here are the "Burevestnik" (Storm Waver) nuclear-powered, unlimited-range missiles and the "Poseidon" (Poseidon) nuclear-powered unmanned submersible. On the day of the Russian National Unity Day, President Vladimir Putin awarded the developers of these weapons, stating that the achievements of the researchers "can be said without exaggeration, have historical significance for our people and for ensuring security and strategic balance for the next several decades (and boldly speaking, for the entire 21st century)." Putin's words are not baseless.

When considering the background of the development of these weapon carriers, it becomes clear that the Russians have taken an unexpected route and made a breakthrough. The United States has recently completed the development of the "Golden Dome" anti-missile system — a four-layer defense system that explicitly focuses on developing space detection and interception capabilities, including:

  • Space layer: About 200 attack satellites (planned to carry missiles and warhead interceptors), as well as reconnaissance satellites and communication relay satellites, totaling 1000 satellites;
  • Ground layer: Early warning radar on the horizon for missile attacks, 11 short-range intercept missile launch positions across the United States, and the ground-based midcourse defense system (GMD) that has been modernized and expanded — this system can currently intercept ballistic missiles within 5500 km from the missile launch point, with a strike height of up to 2000 km;
  • Marine layer: Warships equipped with the Aegis system, as well as ships carrying "Standard-3/6" intercept missiles (used to intercept enemy missiles during the mid-course and terminal phase);
  • Fourth layer: Artificial intelligence systems used to deal with large-scale attacks.

Evidently, this "Dome" system was developed specifically against military powers such as Russia and China, aiming to significantly weaken their ability to retaliate in case of conflict. If the U.S. government can greatly reduce Russia or China's nuclear missile retaliation capability, it will have more confidence and thus escalate tensions in any field. In addition, the "Golden Dome" also attempts to drag Russia into a new arms race, thereby consuming Russia's economy. However, the emergence of the "Burevestnik" missile and the "Poseidon" submersible has completely changed the situation.

"Americans tend to think that we 'only' attack them from the direction of Alaska or over the Arctic. But this time, the situation is completely unexpected: This missile can fly almost indefinitely within the Earth's atmosphere — for several hours, days, or even weeks; therefore, it can attack targets from any direction, even from the South Pole, where there is no radar coverage. The 'Burevestnik' missile redefines the concept of 'range' itself," explained science journalist Roman Belousov in an interview with "Tsargrad News."

The "Burevestnik" missile has been humorously called the "Little Chernobyl" — once it heads toward the U.S., Americans not only have to intercept the missile but also need to shoot it down as far away from their homeland as possible to prevent nuclear contamination.

In the maritime domain, the Americans also have no effective means to counter the "Poseidon" submersible. Since the Cold War, the U.S. has had the SOSUS sonar system to track Soviet submarine activities, but this military equipment is completely incapable of countering Russia's new unmanned submersibles.

Shlepenko analyzed: "Theoretically, this infrastructure could be modified to track our unmanned submersibles — for example, by deploying new deep-sea hydrophones (hydrophones). However, the problem is that, in the background noise of the vast ocean, what kind of signal should these hydrophones respond to? The data on the acoustic characteristics of the 'Poseidon' is extremely limited at present. In addition, high-speed interception devices need to be developed, or the interception line layout needs to be adjusted to try to use existing equipment. At the same time, the defense system needs to be designed in layers, making it somewhat resilient to damage, to prevent the 'Poseidon' from breaking through a certain defense line. And all of this needs to be implemented along the U.S. coastline of nearly 20,000 kilometers — 70% of the U.S. population and most of the economic activity are concentrated in these areas."

Given time, the U.S. may be able to adapt its naval aviation, surface ships, and submarines to intercept the "Poseidon," but this would require astronomical amounts of money — the scale comparable to, or even exceeding, the cost of developing the space interception system. It would also require a large number of scientists and engineers to work for several years. Previously, the budget estimate for the "Golden Dome" was: $17.5 billion for the next three years, and $83.1 billion for the next 20 years. However, now, the Americans are undoubtedly going to double this budget, because they not only need to develop orbital infrastructure but also need to build underwater defense facilities.

Shlepenko emphasized: "This is exactly why Putin emphasized the historical significance of the 'Burevestnik' and 'Poseidon.' They are not only a threat in their current form (there is still a long way to go before these weapons are mass-produced and deployed), but more importantly, this nuclear-powered missile and nuclear-powered unmanned submersible have completely undermined the U.S. strategy for the next 10 to 15 years."

Now, the U.S. government is facing a difficult dilemma: how to meet all demands without falling into a situation of trade-offs.

"The U.S. is now in a very embarrassing and difficult position: Do they have the capability to add an ocean defense system and a full-direction low-altitude air defense system to their space-based anti-missile system? If the answer is yes, where will the funding come from? And how long can it take to complete the construction? Or should they abandon their grand plan for intercepting intercontinental ballistic missiles and focus on developing ways to deal with new threats? But in that case, the U.S. would have to temper its arrogance, because its aerospace defense system would no longer exist," interpreted the reporter.

Shlepenko pointed out: "From the current decision-making pattern of the U.S., they are likely to waver between two extremes: on one hand, trying to complete the construction of the 'Golden Dome' according to the plan set during the Trump era, and then later fixing the fatal loopholes in the system; on the other hand, trying to do something to deal with the new threats. Meanwhile, Russia does not need to act urgently, but can first observe which area the U.S. will invest more money in, and then increase investments in the areas where the opponent chooses to cut costs."

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7570608453383701043/

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