MOSCOW. Jan 21 (Interfax-AVN) - The development strategy of the United States' global missile shield, published by Pentagon in its new Missile Defense Review, is clearly confrontational and anti-Russian, Col. Gen. Viktor Yesin told Interfax on Saturday.
"This document is aimed at devaluing Russia's efforts to maintain the nuclear parity with the U.S. and thus shifting the military strategical balance existing between them in their favor," Yesin, who had previously headed the General Staff of the Russian Strategic Missile Forces, said.
"The aim of it was determined by the U.S. National Security Strategy approved by President Donald Trump in late 2017, [it is] to ensure the U.S.'s undivided military superiority and make it possible to use military force to achieve its goals with impunity, strictly at its own discretion and disregarding international law," he said.
"Such aspirations of Washington undermine strategic stability and will have the worst consequences for international security," Yesin said.
"This is why Russia, as well as China, as well as other leading countries, which are not in the circle of the U.S. partners and allies, are bound to take measures to counter the U.S. These measures should be comprehensive, starting from political and diplomatic rather than military-technical ones alone," he said.
"As for possible Russian military-technical measures, Russian President Vladimir Putin told about them in his address to the Federal Assembly on March 1, 2018, They are being in general implemented successfully as part of the State Armaments Program until 2027," Yesin said.
"At the same time, it seems that the U.S.'s plans of the development of the space segment of the U.S. missile shield, envisaging the deployment of strike missile defense means, would require us to adjust the current State Armaments Program somehow," he said.
"But it would be reckless to leave it at that. It should be taken into consideration very seriously that both in the U.S. Nuclear Policy Review and the U.S. Missile Defense Review the priority is given to delivering preemptive 'decapitating' and 'disarming' strikes on the territories of the countries, which Washington qualifies as its adversaries. And Russia is now openly listed among these adversaries," the expert said.
"These emerging realities require an appropriate adjustment of the Military Doctrine of the Russian Federation, approved in 2014, and the introduction of relevant amendments to Russia's nuclear policy," he said.
"Today we should not rely only on retaliation to the aggressor's actions, other options are also necessary in case if this aggressor is preparing to attack us," he said.