#STRATDELA

@stratdela · science · English · active

A project on all things strategic and nuclear (as seen from Moscow) by ​Dmitry Stefanovich. Also on Substack, with (ir)regular newsletters: https://1dkv.substack.com/ stratdela.ru

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    What are U.S. extended deterrence options in the Indo-Pacific, assuming the capability and credibility are sufficient to deter an indigenous nuclear weapon, which would come with great fiscal and political cost? Options could include: - Forward base air-launched nuclear weapons, or at least demonstrate the ability to do in a crisis through exercises. These exercises were included in the Obama NPR but never executed. - Continue bomber demonstrations via bomber task force missions, including B-1s, B-2s, and B-52s, and when available the B-21. - Expand the number and type of theatre-based systems that would be deployed by U.S. forces on U.S. platforms to the region. Should the PNIs be reversed for surface ships as well as fast-attack submarines? - Continue extended deterrence dialogues to ensure Indo-Pacific allies view US extended deterrence both politically and militarily credible. - Conduct exercises with Korea and Australia to understand the application of conventional support to nuclear forces. What might Indo-Pacific allies do to support US extended deterrence, ensure that it remains a U.S. priority, and is seen as credible by allies and adversaries? Options could include: - Commit to financial support for forward-deployed nuclear systems, such as base security and support, to encourage the United States to deploy nuclear weapons on their territories either permanently or in the event of a crisis. - Fund U.S. nuclear weapons modernization for use in the Indo-Pacific theatre in exchange for an assured U.S. political commitment to extended deterrence. - Urge the United States to re-deploy nuclear weapons on Guam. - Conduct regional exercises of US dual-capable aircraft. - Consider participation in DCA missions with the United States supplying the nuclear delivery vehicle in a crisis. - Indo-Pacific allies should clearly identify what options they would want for a deterrent tailored specifically to their threat picture. Whatever the United States and its Indo-Pacific agree upon, these options must be seen as credible by China, North Korea, and Russia on the one hand, but not as destabilizing on the other. https://perryworldhouse.upenn.edu/news-and-insight/extended-nuclear-deterrence-what-might-the-future-hold/

  5. Sweden today announced it has signed a SEK 7 billion ($732 million) deal to procure the Lockheed Martin’s M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), as part of an ongoing overhaul of NATO’s newest member’s long-range strike options. ... The acquisition comprises “just over” ten launchers together with a “substantial quantity” of ammunition, Defense Minister Pål Jonson said to the reporters in the hangar, without being more specific. The first deliveries of launchers and ammunition are set for 2027, as part of a deal the defense chiefs said. This is the first contract of a deal the the American Government approved in March. ... Jonson said that the system will also enable “future use” of the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), with a range of up to 500 kilometres, “capable of striking high-value targets in depth.” “The long-range precision capability that you get with HIMARS is something we [the Army] don’t have in our toolbox at the moment. We have it in the Air Force, but we also need it in the Army,” the head of the Swedish Army, Maj. Gen. Johan Pekkari, told Breaking Defense on the sidelines of the press briefing. He stressed that it is a deep-strike capability that will add to the recently operational Taurus missiles the Air Force’s Gripens can now carry. ... “We need to produce a lot more munitions in Europe and in Sweden. I am particularly glad that Saab and Lockheed Martin are teaming up on this, and this includes everything from the GLSDB that Saab and Boeing have developed, in combination also with PrSM, or potentially other long-range strike capabilities,” Jonson told Breaking Defense. During the press briefing, he said the “first steps” are now being taken toward “joint production in Sweden” of rocket artillery ammunition. However, production will start at Saab’s factory in Grayling, Michigan. ... “It is still only a letter of intent, but we are setting up a production area right now in Grayling, Michigan. Over time we are open to seeing whether we could do something in Europe as well,” Johansson said, on site in the hangar. ... Since Sweden does not yet operate their own HIMARS, Finland will help with maintenance and training. Lockheed Martin is also setting up Europe’s first HIMARS maintenance center in the Finnish city ofTampere — a move Finland’s Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said was deliberate. “We made a deal with Lockheed Martin that the center will come to Finland, which will support the whole of Europe” he told Breaking Defense adding, “We hope allies procuring new HIMARS will also use our center for sustainment. Sweden is now the first one, and that’s why I’m here [for the signing ceremony].” https://breakingdefense.com/2026/09/sweden-signed-himars-deal-forges-rocket-artillery-pact-with-finland/

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    Germany’s next steps towards building up an arsenal of long-range precision weapons are drawing attention from Russia. First things first, such an arsenal already exists. The Luftwaffe is equipped with the advanced ‘Taurus’ long-range cruise missile (jointly developed with Sweden). The prospects for expanding this arsenal, including on land and at sea, depend on a number of external factors. Germany is attempting to collaborate with the UK, to purchase Tomahawks from the US, whilst the pan-European ELSA project, which envisages a whole ‘bouquet’ of different solutions, remains on the agenda. Tests carried out from a German frigate of the Israeli ‘LORA’ ballistic missile system - a very capable missile as well - also point to a desire to diversify potential sources of missile technology and missile systems as much as possible. At the same time, there are bottlenecks in terms of production capacity, in terms of political decision-making regarding the procurement of particular systems, and in terms of the willingness to sell missile systems, as there is currently little appetite in the US for such cooperation. Still, the more long-range weapons an adversary possesses, and the more sophisticated and diverse they are, the harder the task of protecting targets on Russian territory becomes - both in terms of a layered air and missile defence system and, quite simply, in terms of the territory that must be regarded at risk. For Russia, there are four types of countermeasures here: - firstly, the further development of our layered air and space defence system; - secondly, the build-up of our own long-range weapon capabilities; - thirdly, enhancing the protection of critical civilian and military infrastructure facilities, duplicating them and even possibly relocating them further East; - and fourthly, a restart of European arms control with the aim, at the very least, of increasing the transparency and manageability of the current arms race, and, at the very most, of limiting its scale. As far as one can tell, work is already underway in all these areas. And not just because of the German situation, of course.

  7. Defeated by physics The science behind Golden Dome's space-based interceptors doesn't add up https://thebulletin.org/2026/09/defeated-by-physics-the-science-behind-golden-domes-space-based-interceptors-doesnt-add-up/

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    U.S. Navy Containerized Launching System deploys to Norway https://www.dvidshub.net/image/9898321/us-navy-containerized-launching-system-deploys-norway https://www.dvidshub.net/image/9904954/us-navy-deploys-containerizes-launching-system

  11. The MOD has also requested unpriced funding for the development of a new hypersonic underwater launched missile and funding for an ongoing separate program to acquire a long range submarine-launched missile developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industry. Research on an underwater vertical launch system, which has been ongoing, continues to be funded. Additionally, there are funding requests for ongoing long range strike missiles acquisitions such as the Joint Strike Missile (JSM), Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-Off Missile (JASSM) and the Improved Type 12 missile (air, sea and ground launched). https://news.usni.org/2026/09/01/japan-budget-requests-record-55-6b-for-unmanned-long-range-strike-capabilities

  12. The Space Force’s Commercial Space Office posted an award notice on Aug. 25 for “Starshield Custom Fleet Aviation Services,” covering satellite subscription services for aircraft equipped with SpaceX’s Starshield Tile and smaller Tile Mini terminals. The value of the award was redacted. The new task order was awarded July 28 and calls for worldwide Starshield service with data rates of at least 500 megabits per second downlink and 100 megabits per second uplink. The contract has a one-year base period through July 2027 and an option extending service through July 2028, according to the notice. The document shows that U.S. government organizations have already funded development and qualification of ruggedized Starshield terminals for a range of military aircraft, including cargo planes and tactical fighter jets, and that additional installations are planned. Eleven government organizations participated in development of the Tile Mini during 2024 and 2025. ... The Space Force said the government has spent about $51.9 million on development and qualification of the Tile Mini aviation-compatible terminals, including prototype fabrication, aircraft integration, interoperability assessments and testing. Acquisition officials cited that investment as one reason that moving to a competing provider would involve substantial duplicated costs. The filing also provides a glimpse into Starshield’s aviation footprint. In estimating the cost of replacing existing equipment, the Space Force separately cites groups of 140, 90 and another 140 aviation terminals, along with additional hardware used by other mission partners. Redactions obscure which aircraft or organizations those numbers correspond to, so it’s not clear how many terminals are already operational or planned. https://spacenews.com/space-force-expands-starshield-service-for-military-aircraft/

  13. In its regulatory filings, Gravitics describes the Orbital Carrier in explicit military terms, saying the platform is being developed to support rapid-response and counterspace operations in Earth orbit and cislunar space. The company describes the capability as central to achieving what the Space Force calls space superiority. Gravitics is separately developing Viper OTX, a maneuverable orbital-transfer vehicle that could be carried aboard the larger platform and dispatched to transport payloads to other orbits. https://spacenews.com/gravitics-to-build-orbital-carriers-for-space-based-missile-defense/

  16. repost

    🚀 Flawless trajectory: perfect launch from Plesetsk ✅ A test launch of a mobile-based intercontinental ballistic missile was carried out at the Plesetsk State Test Cosmodrome. 📍 The training warheads arrived at the assigned area at the Kura training ground (Kamchatka Peninsula). All the assigned tasks have been fully completed. ▫️ The Strategic Missile Forces units trained redeployment to the launch battery deployment area with preparation and conduct of the launch. The purpose of the launch was to confirm the tactical, technical, and flight characteristics of the missile system. 🔹 Russian Defence Ministry

  17. repost

    ▶️ An intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from the Plesetsk spaceport to test the technical and flight capabilities of the system, the Russian Defense Ministry said. Video: Russian Defense Ministry/TASS

  19. "I would like to say very clearly and openly: Poland does not want to have nuclear warheads on its territory," he told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels. "We want to participate in NATO nuclear deterrence, [which] does not mean to have a nuclear warhead on our territory." https://www.politico.eu/article/poland-rules-out-hosting-nuclear-weapons-despite-russian-threat/

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