The ballistic missile defense (BMD) project is intended to protect the territory of the United States, as well as us overseas facilities and allies against future threats emerging from so-called rogue regimes. The European components of this BMD system, which will probably be deployed in Poland and the Czech Republic, are conceptualized against the threat of future Iranian long-range ballistic missiles armed with nuclear weapons. Besides profound uncertainties in regard to the materialization of this threat, however, us strategic missile defense may have a negative impact on the strategic relationship between Russia and the United States.

The Russian Federation will have to drastically reduce its arsenal of strategic nuclear weapons and will not be able to compensate necessary reductions of outdated weapon systems. Moreover, land-based systems will continue to constitute the backbone of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces. Moscow is troubled by the deployment and possible future modernization of BMD components in Eastern Europe, which could increase the vulnerability of Russia’s land-based strategic forces and therefore – in the long term – undermine its second-strike capability. This fear of a possible us strategic advantage is further fueled by the expiration of start i, which will put an end to the verification of bilateral disarmament. In this context, the deployment of irbms, which are currently prohibited by the inf Treaty, could be a suitable countermeasure. This type of missile would enable Russia to asymmetrically maintain the strategic balance, as well as to counter future threats emerging on its southern and south-eastern flank. Apart from this strategic dimension, Russia’s fierce reaction to Washington’s deployment plans in Eastern Europe is also the consequence of us hegemonic arrogance. In the course of the 1990s, the United States refrained from a cooperative approach and has ever since set the tone of the bilateral strategic arms control process. After a decade of paralysis, the Russian Federation now seems to have decided to confront us arrogance and dominance in the field of arms control.