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Command and Control, ABM, and Early Warning entry, see the
Overview
file.
2/10/2004: BALUYEVSKIY REITERATES
MISSILES DETARGETED First Deputy Chief of
the General Staff Colonel General Yuriy Baluyevskiy, speaking on 10 February
2004 at a press conference that coincided with the start of the
Security 2004 command and staff
training exercise, confirmed that both Russian and US strategic missiles
remain detargeted. He further indicated that the Russian military does not have
any plans to aim its missiles at targets in foreign countries.[1] Baluyevskiy
specifically mentioned that the expansion of NATO into Eastern Europe and the
Baltics will not lead to a decision to retarget Russian ICBMs at these
states.[1,2] [1] Aleksandr Konovalov, Andrey Naryshkin, "Tsel
trenirovki strategicheskikh sil - proverka vozmozhnosti ikh ispolzovaniya dlya
nedopushcheniya silovogo davleniya na RF - Baluyevskiy," ITAR-TASS, 10 February
2004;
in
Integrum
Techno, http://www.integrum.com.
[2] "V Vooruzhennykh
Silakh Rossii nachalas strategicheskaya komandno-shtabnaya trenirovka,"
ITAR-TASS, 10 February 2004;
in
Integrum
Techno, http://www.integrum.com.
{Entered 4/15/2004 EMC} 5/24/2002: BALUYEVSKIY
EXPRESSES CONFIDENCE IN DETARGETING PROCEDURES Speaking to the press on 24 May 2002, Colonel General Yuriy Baluyevskiy,
Deputy Chief of the General Staff,
said there was a "100% guarantee" no Russian missiles could be launched in the
direction of the United States. Baluyevskiy
also expressed a similar level of confidence in US detargeting
arrangements. Although Russian missiles remain in their launchers, they do not
carry target data. [ITAR-TASS, 24
May 2002; in "Military Official Affirms No Russian Missile Will Be Launched in
US' Direction," FBIS Document CEP20020524000347.] {Entered 5/28/2002 MJ}
2/24/2001: SRF COMMANDER YAKOVLEV REAFFIRMS THAT
MISSILES ARE STILL DETARGETED While commenting on US plans to deploy a National
Missile Defense system, Strategic Rocket Forces (SRF)
Commander Army General Vladimir Yakovlev reaffirmed on 24 February 2001 that
Russian ICBMs are still detargeted. He also stressed that SRF
personnel remain on alert status and are ready to launch at a moment's
notice.
["Raketchiki vsegda gotovy," Nezavisimoye
voyennoye obozreniye, 2-15 March 2001, p.1] {Entered 9/24/01 RG}
8/20/97: SRF REPORTS MISSILES NO LONGER TARGETED
AT NATO According to the press center of the Strategic Rocket
Forces (SRF), all nuclear missiles previously aimed at NATO countries have
been detargeted, with the appropriate changes made to SRF orders and directives.
According to an ITAR-TASS dispatch, a press center official indicated that
the change had been made by "various means and methods, including measures
aimed at detargeting as well as at decoupling the warheads." The
statement thus suggests that some warhead removal measures may have been
implemented, despite earlier indications that the initiative would only
involve detargeting. [ITAR-TASS, 20 August 1997; in
"Nuclear Warheads No Longer Aimed at NATO States," FBIS-UMA-97-232.]{Entered
12/10/97 jl}
6/20/97: YELTSIN ANNOUNCES DETARGETING OF
MISSILES AIMED AT JAPAN During the Denver G-7 summit, Russian President Boris
Yeltsin met with Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and informed
him that Russia would no longer aim nuclear missiles at Japan.[1]
Yeltsin's press secretary, Sergey Yastrzhembskiy, noted that a decision
on targeting had not yet been made, but that after Yeltsin's statement
a (formal) decision would be made.[2] Japanese officials were reportedly
unprepared for the statement and indicated uncertainty as to whether Russia
had already decided to detarget the missiles or was offering to do so.
Yeltsin's statement was also taken as confirmation of the fact that the
Soviet Union (and subsequently Russia) had targeted Japan with nuclear
weapons.[3] [1] Kyodo, 20 June 1997; in "Hashimoto,
Yeltsin Agree on 'Regular Reciprocal Visits'," FBIS-EAS-97-171. [2] Interfax, 21 June 1997; in
"Further on Yeltsin-Hashimoto Meeting, Missile Targeting," FBIS-SOV-97-112. [3] Mainichi Shimbun, 22
June 1997, p. 2; in "Government 'Perplexed' by Russian Detargeting Plan,"
FBIS-EAS-97-174.{Entered 12/10/97 jl}
5/27/97: MINISTRY OF DEFENSE STATEMENT ON DETARGETING It was reported on 28 May 1997 that the Russian Ministry
of Defense released a statement on 27 May concerning Russian President
Boris Yeltsin's comments that Russian nuclear forces would not target NATO.[1]
The Defense Ministry's press release was ambiguous, however, in terms of
the means to be taken to accomplish Yeltsin's goal. The key portion
of the release states: "Practically, this entails undertakin through
various means and methods the removal from combat alert of all types of
nuclear missile systems which could be targeted on the NATO member states.
Such means and methods include detargeting measures and the removal of
warheads. Consequently, the conduct of daily alert will be organized
only in the interests of supporting the maintenance of such systems and
supporting nuclear safety. Thus, Russian nuclear arms, in correspondence
with the expressed initiative of the president do not carry out combat
alert against the countries of NATO."[2] [1] RIA Novosti, 28 May 1997;
in "Defense Ministry Praises Yeltsin Initiative on Warheads," FBIS-UMA-97-148,
28 May 1997. [2] "Dopolnitelnyy krupnyy
shag po ukrepleniyu doveriya," Krasnaya zvezda, 29 May 1997, p.
1. {Entered 10/21/97 jl}
5/27/97: YELTSIN
SURPRISE STATEMENT ON DETARGETING MISSILES AIMED AT NATO After the signing ceremony for the NATO-Russia Founding
Act, Russian President Boris Yeltsin surprised the leaders of the NATO
states by declaring that all Russian warheads aimed at NATO countries would
be removed ("snyat boyegolovki").[1] Yeltsin's comment went far beyond
previous Russian statements as it implied the actual removal of nuclear
warheads from launchers, rather than simply detargeting the guidance system.
Presidential Press Secretary Sergey Yastrzhembskiy and Russian Foreign
Minister Yevgeniy Primakov, immediately "clarified" Yeltsin's comment,
pointing out that he had meant to state that detargeting would be undertaken
first, with removal of warheads following negotiations.[2, 3] The
Russian press differed on whether Yeltsin's statement was a misstatement
of a new Russian policy, or was a completely new policy initiative that
had not been coordinated within the bureaucracy. Nezavisimaya
gazeta, in a detailed article, suggested that an initiative to detarget
warheads had been developed and coordinated within the Russian government,
but that Yeltsin had inadvertently misspoken and confused detargeting with
warhead removal.[4] Izvestiya's Viktor Litovkin reported, however,
that the initiative had not been developed by the military, but rather
by the president's administration. According to Litovkin, a press
release issued by the Russian Ministry of Defense confirming the removal
of "rocket nuclear forces from combat alert against the countries of NATO"
had been drawn up by the presidential administration, not the military.[5]
Other press reaction was critical of Yeltsin for announcing the initiative
and sowing confusion.[6, 7] Duma member and arms control expert Aleksey
Arbatov was also dismissive of the idea, calling it "either completely
senseless or completely unrealizable."[8] Yeltsin clarified his position
in a nationwide radio address a few days later, in which he defended the
NATO-Russia Founding Act and noted that "Russian missiles will no longer
be targeted at the NATO countries."[9] Sources: [1] Dmitriy Gornostayev,
"Boris Yeltsin zayavil, chtro boyegolovki s raket, natselennykh na strany
NATO budut snyaty," Nezavisimaya gazeta, online edition,28
May 1997. [2] ITAR-TASS, 27 May 1997;
in "Spokesman on Missile Retargeting; Warheads `May Be Removed',"; FBIS-TAC-97-147,
27 May 1997. [3] ITAR-TASS, 27 May 1997;
in "Primakov: Missiles No Longer Targeted on NATO States," FBIS-SOV-97-147,
27 May 1997. [4] Dmitriy Gornostayev,
"Parizhskoye zayavleniye Borisa Yeltsina o snyatii yadernykh boyegolovok
vryad li bylo ekspromtom," Nezavisimaya gazeta, online edition,29 May 1997. [5] Viktor Litovkin, "Raketnyy
khod Prezidenta ne byl zaplanirovan," Izvestiya, online edition,
29 May 1997. [6] Yuliya Kalinina, "What
Is To Be Done With the Warheads," Moskovskiy Komsomolets, 29 May
1997, p. 3; in "Warhead Removal Idea Derided as `Senseless Operation',"
FBIS-TAC-97-149. [7] Pavel Felgengauer, "Yeltsin
chut bylo ne razporuzhilsya," Segodnya, online edition, 28 May 1997. [8] Aleksey Arbatov, "An
Impromptu Remark on an Arms Theme," Obshchaya gazeta, 5-11
June 1997, no. 22; in "Yeltsin Criticized for Paris Missile Promise," FBIS-SOV-97-111,
11 June 1997. [9] Moscow Informatsionoye
Agenstvo Ekho Moskvyy, 29 May 1997; in "Full Text of Yeltsin Radio Address
on NATO Accord," FBIS-SOV-97-149.{Entered 10/20/97 JL}
9/3/94: RUSSIA, CHINA AGREE NOT TO TARGET MISSILES Russia and China agreed not to target their nuclear missiles at each other. [Sergei Shargorodsky, "China, Russia Seal Ties By Not
Pointing Nukes At Each Other," WASHINGTON TIMES, 9/4/94, p. A8.]
5/30/94: AGREEMENT TO "DETARGET" IMPLEMENTED The United States and Russia completed implementation of the 1/14/94 agreement
to detarget all strategic missiles. The agreement is seen mainly as a political
gesture, because both countries can retarget their nuclear arsenals in
a matter of minutes. According to Russian Colonel General Igor Sergeyev,
commander of the Strategic Rocket Forces, Russian missiles will not lift
off in the case of accidental launch because target coordinates have been
removed from the missiles' guidance computers. ["U.S.-Russian Strategic Missile Detargeting Complete,"
ARMS CONTROL TODAY, 7-8/94, p. 26.]
1/14/94:RUSSIA, US SIGN MISSILE AGREEMENT Russia and the US signed an agreement in which both countries will detarget
their nuclear missiles by 6/94. [ITAR-TASS, 1/14/94; in "Presidents Detarget Nuclear
Missiles," FBIS-SOV-94-010, 1/14/94, p. 5.]
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