Is civilian control of Russia’s nuclear arsenal at risk?

Posted by Matt in December 12th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Military, Nuclear, Russia, Anatoly, Civilian Control, Control, Defense Minister, Dmitry Medvedev, Furniture Salesman, Military Policy, Money, Nuclear Arsenal, Risk, Russia, Russian Generals, Tax Man

Russian generals have long felt they should be the ones to set military policy. They have trouble accepting civilian authority — be it from President Dmitry Medvedev or Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov. They derisively describe the minister as a former furniture salesman and tax man, yet Serdyukov knows where the brass keep their money.
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Polish support for missile deal soars

Posted by Matt in August 18th, 2008 | no comment

Published in general, Allies, Array, Chinese Generals, Contrary, Defense Secretary, Empty Rhetoric, Military Historian, Missile Base, Missile Deal, Missile Defense System, NATO, Nuclear Attack, Nuclear War, Poland, Robert Gates, Russian General, Russian Generals, Secretary Robert, Seven Years, Soars, War Over Taiwan

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has something in common with those on left, they’re both too smart to fall for something a Russian general has to say. The fact that this general is threatening Poland with a nuclear attack is really nothing that we should get worked up about. The general doesn’t mean it.
I, being not [...]

China and Russia’s Geographic Divide

Posted by Matt in July 22nd, 2008 | 1 comment

Published in China, Russia, Border Region, Brutal War, Chinese Interior, East Of The Urals, Economic Sense, First Glance, Flatness, Geography Russia, Geopolitical, Global Alliance, Long Stretch, Multipolar World, Natural Partners, Open Expanse, Russian Generals, Silk Road, Small Miracle, Southern Coasts, Transport Bill, Western Border, Western China

By Peter Zeihan
Since the Soviet fall, Russian generals, intelligence chiefs and foreign policy personnel have often waxed philosophic about the inevitability of a global alliance to hem in U.S. power — often using the rhetoric of a “multipolar world.” Central in all of these plans has been not only the implied leadership of Russia, but [...]

2 Russian generals leave amid feud over army restructuring

Posted by Matt in July 7th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Military, Russia, Ambitions, Anatoli, Defense Minister, Military Defense, Purge, Resistance, Restructuring, Russia, Russian Army, Russian Generals

Two of the most senior Russian generals were relieved of their duties Monday.
An analyst said that the move was part of a purge of commanders who oppose a plan to overhaul the vast, nuclear-armed military.
Defense Minister Anatoli Serdyukov has been ordered to give Russia a modern military that would match its ambitions to be a [...]