Putin Dropping Invisible Bombs
Posted Jul 07, 2007
The full transcript of Putin's recent press conference is worth chewing over if you have time. Here's the most interesting gem that got overlooked, at least in the press coverage that I saw:
VLADIMIR PUTIN: And I am also against an arms race. I am opposed to any kind of arms race but I would like to quickly draw your attention to something I said in last year's Address. We have learned from the Soviet Union's experience and we will not be drawn into an arms race that anyone imposes on us. We will not respond symmetrically, we will respond with other methods and means that are no less effective. This is called an asymmetrical response.
The United States are building a huge and costly missile defence system which will cost dozens and dozens of billions of dollars. We said: ?no, we are not going to be pulled into this race. We will construct systems that will be much cheaper yet effective enough to overcome the missile defence system and therefore maintain the balance of power in the world." And we are going to proceed this way in the future.
Moreover, I want to draw your attention to the fact that, despite our retaliatory measures, the volume of our defence expenditures as a percentage of GDP is not growing. They were 2,7 percent of GDP and will remain so. We are planning the same amount of defence spending for the next 5 to 10 years. This is fully in line with the average expenditures of NATO countries. This amount is not more than their average defence expenditures and in some cases it is even lower than that of NATO member countries. And we can use our competitive advantages which include quite advanced military-industrial capabilities and the intellectual capacities of those who work in our military complex. There are good results and good people. In any case, much of this has been preserved, and we will do everything possible in order not only to maintain but also to develop this potential.
Asymmetrical Warfare is a topic we cover probably too much here at SR. Previous entries have seen it referred to as 4th Generation Warfare, Transcendant Warfare, Policing the Spectrum, and had it's roots in what sociologists called Urban Guerrilla Warfare. Today it is known to most people as Terrorism.
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