MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The US missile defense system provokes other countries to build up their missile capabilities and thus causes a new spiral of arms race, a spokesman of the Russian Defense Ministry Alexander Emelyanov said during the joint Russian-Chinese briefing on missile defense issues held on the sidelines of the First Committee of the UN General Assembly on Thursday.
"Russia is confident that unlimited deployment of the US missile defense system is a major challenge to the global security, an impetus for an arms race and a threat for the humanity," the Russian serviceman added.
Alexander Emelyanov also noted that with the deployment of elements of the US global missile network in Allied countries Washington carried significant risks to the sovereignty and security of these countries as well as to their ecological future making the population of these counties a hostage of the Pentagon.
The spokesman believes that the US missile defense system represents a threat to Russian deterrence potential since the number of warheads being deployed by the United States surpasses amounts which Russia's nuclear deterrence potential is capable of containing.
"According to our estimates, by 2022 the number of [US] missile defense systems will come to over 1,000, and will in time surpass the number of warheads deployed on Russian intercontinental missiles. Such an amount of missile defense system firepower poses a danger to the Russian deterrence potential, especially given the constant work on upgrading missile defense systems warheads," Alexander Emelyanov said.
Moreover, he noted that the US modernized Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) systems would be capable to intercept ballistic missiles at the early trajectory.
"Russian experts have concluded that 'Standard-3' missile systems of the 2A modification, which are expected to be deployed in 2018, will be able to intercept strategic ballistic missiles not only at the medium and final, but also at the early stage of trajectory, which will make it possible to destroy ballistic missiles until the dispensing of combat blocs," the spokesman of the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Russia has repeatedly informed the US partners about its concerns over Washington breaching its international commitments by expanding the missile defense system, however, the US ignores Russia's appeals. Amid mounting tensions over the Pyongyang's provocations, the US may try to create conditions to use nuclear arms with minimal efforts.
"The deployment of the global missile defense system is gradually destroying the existing system of international security. By expanding its missile defense capabilities the United States aims gaining strategic advantages by means of creating conditions for the use of nuclear arms with minimal costs. It could have very serious consequences in the security sphere," the spokesman of the Russian Defense Ministry said during the joint Russian-Chinese briefing.
The Pentagon has started the creation of prospective systems of a prompt global strike which presupposes the implementation of the the concept of joint use of offensive and defensive weapons. Emelyanov explained the interconnection of plans of the missile defense system deployment and of the creation of the means of prompt global strike. He said that the effectiveness of the US missile defense system would increase significantly in case of a 'disarming' strike targeting the facilities of Russian and Chinese strategic nuclear forces. That's why the creation of means of a prompt global strike is yet another factor proving Washington's intention to destroy the existing balance of power and to ensure its strategic dominance.
