Nuclear terrorism is and has been a great threat to our country's safety and peace. According to Karl Inderfurth, the United States does not know how many nuclear weapons Russia has. It is estimated that they have 4,000 to 18,000 nuclear weapons. Not knowing how many of these deadly weapons Russia has is a threat to the United States national security because these unknown weapons could fall into the hands of terrorists or others seeking to bring harm to the United States. In 2000, the Baker-Cutler Task Force called the danger of nuclear warfare, “the most urgent, unmet national security threat to the United States” Because the am ount of the weapons is unknown, it is easy for them to be sold to extremists who intend to do harm to other countries, including the United States. Since Russia has an undisclosed amount of nuclear weapons, the threat of nuclear war is not totally inevitable.
Russia’s weapon history makes it very dangerous for them to have such advanced weapons. Although Russian authorities claim that the Soviet Union never had an offensive weapons program, they spent billions of dollars that funded weapons which did nothing for their security as a nation. The money spent on weapons was not for the defensive of the Soviet Union, but rather for the expansion of research on nuclear and biological weapons. Milton Leitenberg and Raymond A. Zilinskas state that Russia never clearly told the United States that their nuclear and biological weapons research program was shut down. This shows that Russia is still advancing their research on deadly biological weapons which were banned in war after WWII and the Cold War. The uncertain closure of these research programs provokes concern of future nuclear war.
The history and development of Russia’s weapons make them extremely dangerous because of how advanced they are. With Russia creating new military weapons, the world is able to see how powerful the Russians are. One of the leading Russian defensive official has been able to confirm that laser weapons previously alluded to by President Vladimir Putin are in service and are very capable of disarming targets with rapid precision. From this, the world learns and understands that Russia is an extremely dangerous threat regarding its advanced weapons and military. There is not much known about Russia’s new laser system except that such laser weapons will be used to stop missiles and aircrafts. With the U.S. Missile Defensive agency involved, officials will be able to gather information on Russia’s new technology.
Is Russia too confident in their military ability? This is a question many leaders in different countries are asking. It is being debated on whether or not America and other countries would be able to persuade and prevent Russia from using their new, extremely harmful weapons. Russia demonstrates its perception of the advantage their weapon systems provide through many exercises and statements. This is not good for countries around the world because it makes Russia feel a lot of power and want to express more of their power. Russia is reported to have acquired low-yield, precision low-yield and low-collateral damage nuclear weapons. The information provided by a Russian journalist is extremely helpful to other countries to keep them in the know of the Russian’s advancements in military weapons.