According to some sources, Russia possesses the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world.[35] Other sources claim that the stockpile of the USA is larger.[36] Russia's Strategic Rocket Forces controls its land-based nuclear warheads, while the Navy controls the submarine based missiles and the Air Force the air-launched warheads. Russia's nuclear warheads are deployed in four areas:
2008.Land based immobile (silos), like R-36.
Land-based mobile, like RT-2UTTH Topol M.
Submarine based, like RSM-56 Bulava.
Air-launched warheads of the Russian Air Forces' 37th Air Army
Russian military doctrine sees NATO expansion as one of the threats for the Russian Federation and reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in response to a conventional aggression that can endanger the existence of the state. In keeping with this, the country's nuclear forces received adequate funding throughout the late 1990s. Russia, with approximately 16,000 warheads, possesses the largest stockpile of nuclear warheads.[37] The number of intercontinental ballistic missiles and warheads on active duty has declined over the years, in part in keeping with arms limitation agreements with the U.S. and in part due to insufficient spending on maintenance, but this is balanced by the deployment of new missiles as proof against missile defences. Russia has developed the new RT-2UTTH Topol M missiles that are stated to be able to penetrate any missile defence, including the planned U.S. National Missile Defence. The missile can change course in both air and space to avoid countermeasures. It is designed to be launched from land-based, mobile TEL units and submarines.[38] Russian nuclear forces are confident that they can carry out a successful retaliation strike if attacked.[citation needed]
Because of international awareness of the danger that Russian nuclear technology might fall into the hands of terrorists or rogue officers who it was feared might want to use nuclear weapons to threaten or attack other countries, the Federal government of the United States and many other countries provided considerable financial assistance to the Russian nuclear forces in early 1990s. Many friendly countries gave huge amounts of money in lieu for Russian Arms purchase deals which kept Russian Agencies functioning just like they used to earlier with high efficiency. This money went in part to finance decommissioning of warheads under international agreements, such the Cooperative Threat Reduction programme, but also to improve security and personnel training in Russian nuclear facilities.
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It appears that instead of military bases that Russia just concentrates on making sure they can annihilate all comers in a nuke war.
It appears to save them about 90 billion dollars a year doing it this way :shrug:
Seriously - why does the US have so many bases ?
It just dont seem like the right thing to do these days.
