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Top US military chief downplays Russian military buildup
Washington (AFP) Sept 26, 2008 Chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff Admiral Michael Mullen on Friday downplayed Russia's announced army and navy buildup and its upcoming naval exercises with Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea. "When I dealt with my (Russian) counterparts, when I was head of our Navy ... it was very clear to me that their intention was to modernize their strategic forces," Mullen said at a press conference. Mullen spoke after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced that Russia will boost its air and naval defenses by building more modern warships, nuclear-powered submarines, and an air and space defense system. Medvedev's still-powerful predecessor, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, has already announced a 28-percent increase in Russia's military budget for next year. Mullen confessed to not being acquainted with the details of Russia's plan, but said it was "consistent with where ... the Russian military was going as far as back as a couple of years ago." Mullen shrugged off Russia and Venezuela's planned military exercises in the Caribbean, within the US sphere of influence, as inconsequential. "Clearly, those two countries ... can work together as they see fit. I just don't consider that a really significant threat at this particular point in time." Earlier this month, Russia dispatched a pair of Tu-160 strategic bombers to Venezuela followed by a naval flotilla led by the nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser Peter the Great, one of the largest warships of its kind. The Russian warships are scheduled to take part in joint maneuvres with the Venezuelan navy later this year. Medvedev on Friday said he would sign agreements "to strengthen our cooperation" with Venezuela, after greeting his fiercely anti-US Venezuelan counterpart, Hugo Chavez, in Orenburg, Russia. Related Links Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Commentary: Connecting geopolitical dots
Washington (UPI) Sep 26, 2008 As the United States teeters on the brink of a disaster not seen since the Great Depression, two wars are also headed south. Yemen, a hotbed of pro-al-Qaida sentiment in the war on terror, ruled out any further crackdown on extremists. And as crime increases in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, so do sympathy and nostalgia for Taliban rule when crime was virtually eliminated by amputation of hands. |
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