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Nuclear notebook

Russian nuclear forces, 2011

Pages 67-74 | Published online: 27 Nov 2015
 

Abstract

With Russia’s ratification of New START in January 2011 comes a commitment to bilateral nuclear reductions. With a 2018 deadline as the goal, the treaty sets out to limit the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads and the number of deployed ballistic missiles and heavy bombers. But, the authors write, there are other numbers to watch—those that are not limited by New START; Russia is positioned to maintain thousands of other non-deployed strategic and nonstrategic warheads. The authors assess the country’s nuclear forces, providing clear analysis of intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear-powered ballistic submarines, strategic bombers, and nonstrategic tactical weapons.

Acknowledgements

Jana Honkova, an intern at FAS, provided valuable research.

Notes

Notes

1 We believe that Russia stores its weapons at 48 permanent storage sites across Russia (CitationNorris and Kristensen, 2009: 86—98). Other essential references for following Russian strategic nuclear forces include the New START aggregate data that will be released by the US and Russian governments twice a year; the Open Source Center (available [with registration] at: www.opensource.gov/); Pavel CitationPodvig’s (2011) website on Russian strategic nuclear forces; and the Russia profile maintained by the CitationJames Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (2011) for the Nuclear Threat Initiative.

2 Depending on aircraft type, Russian bombers can carry up to 16 weapons; hence, it would be possible for a Russian aircraft to be loaded with 16 weapons but have only one warhead attributed to it under New START.

3 Emphasis added; see CitationRussian Federation (2010a), paragraphs 16, 19(c), 22. The Russian military doctrine also includes a secret annex, the content of which is not publicly known. For analyses of the military doctrine, see CitationGiles, 2010; CitationSokov, 2010.

4 The term “heavy ICBM” generally refers to large Russian (or Soviet) ICBMs with a throw-weight of 5—9 metric tons and the capability to carry many warheads.

5 For detailed discussion about future Russian strategic bombers, see CitationVolodin, 2010.

6 For estimate range, see CitationNorris and Arkin, 1991; CitationArbatov, 1999: 320.

Additional information

Author biographies

Hans M. Kristensen is the director of the Nuclear Information Project with the Federation of American Scientists (FAS) in Washington, DC. His work focuses on researching and writing about the status of nuclear weapons and the policies that direct them. Kristensen is a co-author to the world nuclear forces overview in the SIPRI Yearbook (Oxford University Press) and a frequent adviser to the news media on nuclear weapons policy and operations. He has co-authored Nuclear Notebook since 2001.

Inquiries should be directed to FAS, 1725 DeSales St., NW, Sixth Floor, Washington, DC, 20036 USA; +1 (202) 546-3300.

Robert S. Norris is senior research associate with the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington, DC. His principal areas of expertise include writing and research on all aspects of the nuclear weapons programs of the United States, Soviet Union/Russia, Britain, France, and China, as well as India, Pakistan, and Israel. He is the author of Racing for the Bomb: General Leslie R. Groves, the Manhattan Project’s Indispensible Man (Steerforth) and co-author of Making the Russian Bomb: From Stalin to Yeltsin (Westview). He has co-authored or contributed to the chapter on nuclear weapons in the 1985—2000 editions of the SIPRI Yearbook (Oxford University Press), and has co-authored Nuclear Notebook since 1987.

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