Russia might respond militarily to US missile shield

arbilad · Head Chef

Russia might respond militarily to US missile shield

Organist · Senior Member

Maybe they'll send missiles to Cuba to protect them from "rogue nations and terrorists". And of course the USA will go along with that without complaint or military response, right?

arbilad · Head Chef

Apples and oranges, Organist. Nuclear missiles are offensive weapons, whereas the missile defense shield uses missiles that shoot down other missiles. It's a defensive weapon. Granted, pretty much any defensive weapon can be used offensively. But it is much harder, plus much less effective.
BTW, Russia is a hypocritical nation. They already have an anti-ballistic missile shield. They're complaining that soon we will have what they've had for decades.

Organist · Senior Member

I didn't find the word nuclear in my post. But to clarify, maybe Russia will send a missile defense shield to Cuba. The USA would still respond.

arbilad · Head Chef

True, you didn't use the word nuclear. But, as you well know, what you described happened with nuclear missiles. So mentioning that sort of situation immediately brings that to mind.
Not to mention that a missile shield based in Cuba doesn't make much sense. It's not even vaguely under the path of many of our ICBMs.

arbilad · Head Chef

BTW, what the US agreed on with the Czech republic just involves a radar installation; they haven't agreed yet to put missiles in the Czech republic. The radar installation is the reason Russia is threatening a military response.

Valhalla · Profuse Pontificator

Actually, Russia's beef is that they don't have one themselves or the technology for it, so don't want anyone else to have it.

They are trying to rebuild the former empire and don't want any interference. They see it as a threat to Russian hegemony in the area and don't like that.