Nuklir Rusia Telah Menerangi Amerika
Pemerintah Amerika Serikat baru-baru ini mengungkapkan bahwa sekitar setengah dari bahan bakar nuklir yang digunakan untuk reaktor nuklir Amerika merupakan daur ulang dari hulu ledak nuklir Rusia. Sejak akhir 1990-an, sekitar 10 persen listrik yang dihasilkan di Amerika berasal dari pembangkit listrik yang menggunakan sumber bahan bakar nuklir Rusia.
Ini merupakan hasil dari suksesnya upaya perlucutan senjata nuklir sejak Perang Dingin berakhir. Merupakan upaya bersama Amerika Serikat, Rusia, dan negera-negara penerus Uni Soviet guna mengumpulkan kembali, mengamankan atau menghancurkan ribuan senjata nuklir yang pernah dimiliki Uni Soviet dan Amerika sebagai senjata pemusnah massal. Secara khusus, senjata nuklir kecil (artileri) dari kedua negara tidak pernah jatuh ke tangan pihak yang tidak bertanggung jawab.
Pada akhir 1990-an, Rusia melaporkan bahwa mereka telah membongkar semua
hulu ledak nuklir pada roket dan amunisi artileri. Sekitar 20.000 hulu
ledak nuklir Soviet telah dibongkar di bawah perjanjian ini. AS kemudian
membeli sebagain besar hulu ledak nuklir tersebut untuk kemudian
diproses kembali (diluted) ke pembangkit listrik. Terakhir Rusia
mengirimkan 500 ton bahan nuklir ini ke Amerika Serikat.
Semua ini dilakukan atas perjanjian tahun 1990 antara Amerika Serikat dan Rusia untuk membeberkan semua senjata nuklir Soviet dan membongkar sebagian besar dari senjata-senjata nuklir tersebut. AS menyediakan dana dan bantuan teknis, namun pekerjaan tetap dilakukan para ahli dan diplomat Rusia. Belarus, Kazakhstan, dan Ukraina (ketiganya pecahan Uni Soviet) mewarisi senjata nuklir ketika Uni Soviet bubar pada tahun 1991. Kepemilikan ini berdasarkan perjanjian "bubar" yang menyebutkan bahwa apapun aset milik Uni Soviet yang berada di 14 negara baru adalah milik negara baru tersebut. Dengan dibantu secara keuangan dan diplomatik dari negara-negara Barat, Rusia kemudian membeli nuklir dari 3 negara itu untuk dibongkar.
Rusia bergerak cepat dalam menyingkirkan hulu ledak nuklir kecil mereka karena khawatir jatuh ke tangan yang tidak bertanggung jawab yang notabene ini merupakan senjata-senjata ideal untuk kelompok-kelompok tempur kecil. AS sendiri butuh waktu 3 tahun untuk menyingkirkan nuklir-nuklir kecilnya, karena jumlahnya memang lebih banyak dari Soviet. Sejak awal 1970-an, Amerika Serikat memiliki lebih dari 7.000 hulu ledak nuklir yang disimpan di Eropa, sebagian besar merupakan hulu ledak dari amunisi artileri kaliber 155 mm. Tugas ini terakhir diselesaikan AS pada tahun 2003.
Ada satu masalah lagi. Pada 1990, para pejabat Rusia mengakui bahwa uranium seberat 3-5 kilogram yang sudah diperkaya dan sekitar 100 gram senjata kelas plutonium telah dicuri dari fasilitas nuklir mereka. Beberapa kemudian ditemukan, dalam jumlah sedikit, di Eropa Barat, Turki, dan di Rusia yang sebagai pencurinya sendiri untuk dijual kembali. Rusia mengatakan bahwa jumlah kehilangan tersebut belum cukup untuk membuat bom.
Dalam dua dekade terakhir, material radioaktif yang diselundupkan keluar dari Rusia berada dalam jumlah kecil dan biasanya merupakan bahan baku tingkat rendah yang tidak cocok untuk dibuat bom. Kebanyakan nuklir Rusia telah dibongkar dan material nuklir mereka diubah menjadi bahan bakar pembangkit listrik. Senjata-senjata nuklir yang tersisa saat ini berada di bawah keamanan yang sangat ketat dan ilmuwan-ilmuwan nuklir Rusia diberikan karir dan insentif keuangan untuk agar tidak melakukan hal yang tidak diinginkan.
Semua ini dilakukan atas perjanjian tahun 1990 antara Amerika Serikat dan Rusia untuk membeberkan semua senjata nuklir Soviet dan membongkar sebagian besar dari senjata-senjata nuklir tersebut. AS menyediakan dana dan bantuan teknis, namun pekerjaan tetap dilakukan para ahli dan diplomat Rusia. Belarus, Kazakhstan, dan Ukraina (ketiganya pecahan Uni Soviet) mewarisi senjata nuklir ketika Uni Soviet bubar pada tahun 1991. Kepemilikan ini berdasarkan perjanjian "bubar" yang menyebutkan bahwa apapun aset milik Uni Soviet yang berada di 14 negara baru adalah milik negara baru tersebut. Dengan dibantu secara keuangan dan diplomatik dari negara-negara Barat, Rusia kemudian membeli nuklir dari 3 negara itu untuk dibongkar.
Rusia bergerak cepat dalam menyingkirkan hulu ledak nuklir kecil mereka karena khawatir jatuh ke tangan yang tidak bertanggung jawab yang notabene ini merupakan senjata-senjata ideal untuk kelompok-kelompok tempur kecil. AS sendiri butuh waktu 3 tahun untuk menyingkirkan nuklir-nuklir kecilnya, karena jumlahnya memang lebih banyak dari Soviet. Sejak awal 1970-an, Amerika Serikat memiliki lebih dari 7.000 hulu ledak nuklir yang disimpan di Eropa, sebagian besar merupakan hulu ledak dari amunisi artileri kaliber 155 mm. Tugas ini terakhir diselesaikan AS pada tahun 2003.
Pada 1990, para pejabat Rusia mengakui bahwa uranium seberat 3-5 kilogram yang sudah diperkaya dan sekitar 100 gram senjata kelas plutonium telah dicuri dari fasilitas nuklir mereka.Sementara itu, Rusia masih banyak memiliki yang lain, problem unik Rusia. Mereka memiliki banyak (ton) bahan radiokatif lainnya yang beredar, sebagian besar dalam digunakan untuk listrik dan sebagian besar lainnya digunakan untuk keperluan medis dan industri. Yang paling mengkhawatirkan adalah ratusan Radiothermal Generators (RTGs) yang dibangun di pelosok-pelosok negeri selama era Uni Soviet. RTGs juga ditemukan pada beberapa satelit ruang angkasa, menggunakan bahan radioaktif untuk menghasilkan panas dan listrik, untuk rambu radio dan repeater sinyal di daerah terpencil. Pada awal 1990-an, Rusia bahkan tidak meyakini lokasi penempatan beberapa RTGs mereka, yang akhirnya kemudian beberapa ditemukan oleh sipil. Akhirnya semua RTGs ditemukan dan dibongkar.
Ada satu masalah lagi. Pada 1990, para pejabat Rusia mengakui bahwa uranium seberat 3-5 kilogram yang sudah diperkaya dan sekitar 100 gram senjata kelas plutonium telah dicuri dari fasilitas nuklir mereka. Beberapa kemudian ditemukan, dalam jumlah sedikit, di Eropa Barat, Turki, dan di Rusia yang sebagai pencurinya sendiri untuk dijual kembali. Rusia mengatakan bahwa jumlah kehilangan tersebut belum cukup untuk membuat bom.
Dalam dua dekade terakhir, material radioaktif yang diselundupkan keluar dari Rusia berada dalam jumlah kecil dan biasanya merupakan bahan baku tingkat rendah yang tidak cocok untuk dibuat bom. Kebanyakan nuklir Rusia telah dibongkar dan material nuklir mereka diubah menjadi bahan bakar pembangkit listrik. Senjata-senjata nuklir yang tersisa saat ini berada di bawah keamanan yang sangat ketat dan ilmuwan-ilmuwan nuklir Rusia diberikan karir dan insentif keuangan untuk agar tidak melakukan hal yang tidak diinginkan.
End to energy nukes: Russia ships last weapons-derived uranium batch to US
Published time: November 14, 2013 20:00
http://rt.com/news/russia-us-weapons-derived-uranium-733/
Russia is set to deliver the last 160 tons of
low-enriched uranium to the US as part of the “Megatons-to-Megawatts”
program. The fuel obtained from disarmed Russian nuclear warheads has
been used to generate about half of total US nuclear power.
Ten cylinders with low-enriched uranium (LEU) will be shipped
from St. Petersburg to Baltimore, a Rosatom spokesperson told RIA
Novosti.
The shipment marks the end of the 1993 United States-Russia Highly Enriched Uranium Purchase Agreement, which was a spin-off of the landmark bilateral Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).
Under the 1993 agreement, Russia downgraded some 500 tons of highly enriched uranium (HEU) and sold it to the US. The HEU-LEU contract, also known as the “Megatons-to-Megawatts” deal, encouraged Russia to dispose of its nuclear warheads as part of non-proliferation treaties, and enabled the United States to save on its nuclear fuel production for power plants.
According to US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, Rose Gottemoeller, the downgraded Russian uranium has been “used by nearly all US nuclear power plants to generate half of the nuclear energy in the United States.”
The uranium - derived from about 20,000 disarmed Russian warheads - has been used to light and heat American homes for 20 years, generating 10 percent of all US-produced electricity, Gottemoeller told a UN committee in October. That amounted to seven trillion kilowatt-hours, according to Rosatom head Sergey Kirienko. A smaller amount of uranium from disarmed American weapons has also been used for the same purpose.
Calling the HEU-LEU treaty a “significant non-proliferation accomplishment,” Gottemoeller said the US looked forward to “celebrating this historic achievement” at the ceremony marking the shipment of the final Russian uranium fuel containers in St. Petersburg.
The shipment marks the end of the 1993 United States-Russia Highly Enriched Uranium Purchase Agreement, which was a spin-off of the landmark bilateral Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).
Under the 1993 agreement, Russia downgraded some 500 tons of highly enriched uranium (HEU) and sold it to the US. The HEU-LEU contract, also known as the “Megatons-to-Megawatts” deal, encouraged Russia to dispose of its nuclear warheads as part of non-proliferation treaties, and enabled the United States to save on its nuclear fuel production for power plants.
According to US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, Rose Gottemoeller, the downgraded Russian uranium has been “used by nearly all US nuclear power plants to generate half of the nuclear energy in the United States.”
The uranium - derived from about 20,000 disarmed Russian warheads - has been used to light and heat American homes for 20 years, generating 10 percent of all US-produced electricity, Gottemoeller told a UN committee in October. That amounted to seven trillion kilowatt-hours, according to Rosatom head Sergey Kirienko. A smaller amount of uranium from disarmed American weapons has also been used for the same purpose.
Calling the HEU-LEU treaty a “significant non-proliferation accomplishment,” Gottemoeller said the US looked forward to “celebrating this historic achievement” at the ceremony marking the shipment of the final Russian uranium fuel containers in St. Petersburg.
However, Russia has stressed that it will not be extending the
contract, despite US proposals. Although the US paid more than $8
billion for the uranium fuel, and the estimated total payment may
reach as high as $17 billion, it still purchased the downgraded
uranium at below market price.
Instead, a new agreement has been signed between the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC) and Russia’s Techsnabexport (TENEX), under which the US will purchase commercially produced Russian uranium fuel for American power producers. According to USEC spokesman Jeremy Derryberry, the new contract is “based on market prices.”
Instead, a new agreement has been signed between the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC) and Russia’s Techsnabexport (TENEX), under which the US will purchase commercially produced Russian uranium fuel for American power producers. According to USEC spokesman Jeremy Derryberry, the new contract is “based on market prices.”
Comments (5)
Liberator 15.11.2013 14:07
Spudmonkey 15.11.2013 12:24
David 14.11.2013 21:52
press release
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/final-megatons-to-megawatts-shipment-completes-historic-program-2013-12-10?reflink=MW_news_stmp
Dec. 10, 2013, 3:41 p.m. EST
Final Megatons to Megawatts Shipment Completes Historic Program
-20-year energy and nonproliferation program converted Russian nuclear warhead material into commercial nuclear fuel-
BETHESDA, Md., Dec 10, 2013 (BUSINESS WIRE) --
USEC Inc.
USU
+6.63%
today shipped the last cylinders of low enriched
uranium under the Megatons
to Megawatts program from the Port of Baltimore to its facility in
Paducah, Ky. Since 1995, USEC has purchased more than 14,000 metric tons
of low enriched uranium downblended from 500 metric tons of
weapons-grade uranium that has been extracted from the equivalent of
20,000 Russian nuclear warheads.
"Together, USEC and Techsnabexport (TENEX), working in close partnership
with our respective governments in the United States and Russia, have
fueled the production of clean, reliable electricity through an historic
nonproliferation program that USEC funded at no cost to taxpayers," said
John Welch, USEC's president and chief executive officer. "Over the past
two decades, our commercial business operations have greatly advanced
the strategic policy goals of our national governments, benefitting all
mankind with a safer, cleaner world."
The Megatons to Megawatts program is a unique, commercially financed
government-industry partnership in which bomb-grade uranium from
dismantled Russian nuclear warheads was downblended into low enriched
uranium and purchased by USEC to fuel American nuclear power plants.
This commercial program executed a 1993 government-to-government
agreement between the United States and Russia to reduce excess supplies
of highly enriched uranium in the former Soviet Union. In implementing
this multi-billion dollar program, USEC, as executive agent for the U.S.
government, paid for the downblended uranium at no cost to taxpayers
through a contract with TENEX, as executive agent for the Russian
government. Under this contract, USEC purchased the low enriched uranium
from Russia with USEC corporate funds, adding this supply of fuel to its
inventory for sale to its utility customers.
"Our program's success resulted from strong bilateral cooperation and
dedication to the effective execution of the contract over the long
term," Welch said. "Our companies have worked together to implement the
contract on terms that benefit both countries while providing America's
nuclear reactors with competitively priced nuclear fuel. To that end,
USEC's long-term contracts with American utilities supported the
contract and provided stability to the program."
Since the late 1990s, nearly 10 percent of all the electricity generated
in the United States has been fueled by this downblended uranium. This
nuclear fuel could power the United States for nearly two years. The
program has safely completed more than 250 shipments of fuel between
Russia and the United States. The final shipment will be delivered to
USEC's facility in Paducah and will be incorporated into USEC's
inventory for future delivery to customers.
To verify that the material used in the program came from Russian
warheads and became fuel for commercial nuclear power plants, the
National Nuclear Security Administration, for the United States, and
ROSATOM, for the Russian Federation, supported the implementation of the
commercial program. Both countries cooperated to verify the source,
production and end use of this nuclear fuel material over the program's
lifetime. Close coordination on the government-to-government level
ensured the smooth implementation and success of the commercial program.
Follow-On Contract Provides Deliveries of Commercial Russian Supply through 2022
In 2011, USEC and TENEX entered into a multi-year contract for the
supply of low enriched uranium that will build on USEC's long-term
relationship with TENEX. Under the terms of the new contract, the supply
of low enriched uranium to USEC began in 2013 and will ramp up until it
reaches a level in 2015 that is approximately one-half the level
supplied by TENEX to USEC under the Megatons to Megawatts program. The
new contract includes a mutual option to increase the quantities up to
5.5 million SWU (separative work units) per year, the same level as the
Megatons to Megawatts program.
Unlike the Megatons to Megawatts program, the quantities supplied under
the new contract will come from Russia's commercial enrichment
activities rather than from downblending of Russian weapons material.
Deliveries under the contract are expected to continue through 2022.
USEC is purchasing the SWU contained in the low enriched uranium and
delivers natural uranium to TENEX for the uranium component of the low
enriched uranium.
Background: Warheads to Fuel
The conversion of highly enriched uranium from Russian nuclear warheads
into low enriched uranium for use in fabricating fuel for commercial
nuclear power reactors took place at several nuclear facilities in
Russia. The process began with the removal of the warheads and their
highly enriched uranium metal components from strategic and tactical
nuclear missiles. The highly enriched uranium warhead components were
machined into metal shavings that were then heated and converted to a
highly enriched uranium oxide, and any contaminants were chemically
removed. The highly enriched uranium oxide was converted to highly
enriched uranium hexafluoride, a compound that becomes a gas when
heated. This highly enriched uranium hexafluoride was introduced into a
gaseous process stream where it was mixed with very low enriched uranium
material and diluted to less than 5 percent concentration of the
fissionable uranium-235 isotope, a level too low to be of any military
value but ideal for producing electric power.
The newly produced low enriched uranium was checked to ensure it met
commercial specifications and then transferred to 2.5-ton steel
cylinders, enclosed in protective shipping containers and sent to a
storage and handling facility in St. Petersburg, Russia. USEC took
possession of the containers in St. Petersburg and had them delivered to
its uranium enrichment plant in Kentucky. At USEC's facility, the low
enriched uranium was tested again to ensure that it met appropriate
commercial and customer specifications. USEC then shipped the
warhead-derived low enriched uranium to U.S. fuel fabricators, who
converted it into uranium oxide pellets and fabricated them into fuel
assemblies. The assemblies are delivered to USEC's utility customers as
a source of fuel for their nuclear reactors. It is expected that the low
enriched uranium delivered to USEC under this program will continue to
be supplied to fabricators from USEC's inventories over the next several
years.
USEC Inc., a global energy company, is a leading supplier of enriched
uranium fuel for commercial nuclear power plants.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the
meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 - that is,
statements related to future events. In this context, forward-looking
statements may address our expected future business and financial
performance, and often contain words such as "expects", "anticipates",
"intends", "plans", "believes", "will" and other words of similar
meaning. Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that
are, to different degrees, uncertain. For USEC, particular risks and
uncertainties that could cause our actual future results to differ
materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements
include, but are not limited to: risks related to the ongoing transition
of our business; our dependence on deliveries of low enriched uranium
from Russia under the new commercial supply agreement with Russia and
limitations on our ability to import the Russian low enriched uranium we
buy under the Russian commercial supply agreement into the United States
and other countries; risks related to our ability to sell our fixed
purchase obligations under the Russian commercial supply agreement; and
other risks and uncertainties discussed in our filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form
10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q that are available at www.usec.com
.
We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements except as
required by law.
SOURCE: USEC Inc.
A nuclear power plant in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, March 25, 2011 (AFP/File, Stan Honda)
US takes last shipment of Russian uranium
(AFP)
–
5 hours ago
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jNQmhpHsLgFc36tJtin8Re99amxQ?docId=8595fab3-7596-42c5-baa0-8ad96c6b64ce
Washington
— The United States has taken delivery of its last shipment of
downgraded uranium from Russia, signaling the end of a 20-year program
to neutralize around 500 tonnes of the weapons-grade material, the White
House said Tuesday.
"Today the United States and Russia are
commemorating the completion of one of the most successful
non-proliferation programs in our history," National Security Council
spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said in a statement.
The final shipment of low-enriched uranium arrived in the Maryland port city of Baltimore, Hayden added.
The
fuel, which is destined for use in US nuclear plants, is the latest
from a vast quantity contained in some 20,000 Russian warheads which
were deactivated under the 1991 START treaty at the end of the Cold War.
The recycling and transfer of the uranium to the United States were formalized in a 1993 agreement.
The
program -- named "Megatons to Megawatts" -- had helped provide 10
percent of all US electricity generated over the past 15 years, Hayden
added.
"The United States and Russia remain strongly committed to
building on this success, and will continue to collaborate across
various fields of nonproliferation, nuclear security and nuclear
research and development," Hayden said.
The agreement was halted
at the initiative of Russia, which said the United States was not paying
enough for the uranium, roughly equivalent to 10 billion barrels of
crude. A much smaller quantity of uranium from decommissioned US weapons
had also been used to produce energy.
The United States had sought to extend the agreement with Russia but Moscow refused.
Washington
has paid close to $8 billion up until now for Russian uranium,
according to the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC), the
government agency which provides fuel to power plants.
USEC has
signed a new agreement with Russian consortium Techsnabexport, but fuel
provided under the deal will be at market prices, USEC said in October.
The
end of the post-Cold War deal comes at a time of tensions between the
United States and Russia, who have sparred this year over Syria, a
missile shield in Europe and the fate of US intelligence leaker Edward
Snowden, who has been granted refuge in Moscow.
Copyright © 2013 AFP. All rights reserved. More »
Related articles
- US takes last shipment of Russian uranium
AFP - 5 hours ago
Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I
wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not
receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no
business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this
article.
Uranium is a significant source of fuel used in nuclear
reactors that generate electricity for personal and industrial
consumption throughout the world. Supply and demand have come out of
balance as a result of increased demand and globally reduced mining
supply. Above ground stockpiles of uranium have filled that gap, but
there is about to become a significant change to the supply of available
above ground uranium. Finally, average uranium mining costs are
presently below uranium selling prices. These factors will be reviewed
in this article and point to a positive investment environment for
uranium and for companies that mine it.
According to the Nuclear Energy Institute:
"As of November 2013, 30 countries worldwide are operating 435 nuclear reactors for electricity generation and 72 new nuclear plants are under construction in 14 countries. Nuclear power plants provided 12.3 percent of the world's electricity production in 2012. In total, 13 countries relied on nuclear energy to supply at least one-quarter of their total electricity."
Despite unfortunate and well-publicized
disasters such as Chernobyl and Fukushima, nuclear energy has many
other benefits as a source of energy and is here to stay. That is
because a single uranium fuel pellet the size of a pencil eraser
contains the same amount of energy as 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas,
1,780 pounds of coal or 149 gallons of oil. There are no emissions of
carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide during the production
of electricity at nuclear energy facilities. Nuclear energy is the only
clean-air source of energy that produces electricity 24 hours a day,
every day. As shown below, absent those disasters, nuclear energy is a
low cost, low emissions form of power generation.
US to upgrade nuke arsenal while cutting nonproliferation efforts – report
Published time: April 10, 2013 07:36
http://rt.com/usa/obama-nuclear-nonproliferation-cuts-603/
In the face of looming budget cuts, the Obama
administration reportedly wants to reduce spending on nuclear
nonproliferation efforts while continuing to upgrade America’s atomic
weapons arsenal.
The planned changes in funding are to be revealed Wednesday when
the White House proposes its 2014 federal budget, according to
Foreign Policy magazine.
Under the proposal, the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) nuclear
weapons-related programs would see a roughly 7 percent boost of
around $500 million, Foreign Policy quoted anonymous officials as
saying. The current budget for these programs stands at more than
$7 billion.
At the same time, the DOE’s nonproliferation programs would be
cut by around 20 percent, or some $460 million, the report said;
these programs currently receive $2.45 billion a year.
The new spending would reportedly be for an upgrade of older
nuclear warheads, and to help fund construction of a uranium
processing plant in Tennessee. The modernization program is part of Obama’s deal with
Congress as part of the New Start (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty)
pact with Russia. Lawmakers agreed to back the reduction of the
number of nuclear warheads in US arsenals if those remaining in
service are upgraded.
Much of the reduction in nonproliferation spending would bet cut
from a half-complete plant designed to process excess plutonium
from decommissioned warheads into fuel for civilian reactors. Other
programs aiming at securing loose fissile materials overseas and
preventing the illegal trade of WMD technology would also be
trimmed.
The only category of the DOE’s nonproliferation activities that
would see an increase in spending is research and development, in
order to finance the development of a satellite-based nuclear
detonation sensor, Foreign Policy reported.
The proposed changes are due to overall cuts across the federal budget. On top of
that, the DOE’s programs reportedly suffered from mismanagement and
overspending. The department turned to the Pentagon to cover the
cost overruns on its W76 warhead upgrade programs, but received
only $3 billion of the $7 billion requested, Foreign Policy
said.
The 2014 budget proposal is likely to be billions of dollars
higher than the spending caps mandated by the 2011 Budget Control
Act. It is expected to see strong opposition from lawmakers. The
White House and Congress have battled for two years over budgetary
issues, and so far have failed to reach common ground.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon is struggling to cope with austerity measures by cutting
spending not related to active duty troops. The Navy announced
Tuesday that it is grounding its renowned Blue Angels precision
flying team for the remainder of 2013 show season. The cancellation
of 33 shows would save an estimated $28 million. A similar move by
the Air Force grounded its Thunderbirds exhibition flying team as
of April 1.
Comments (37)
Larry 14.11.2013 23:29
Anonymous user 11.04.2013 12:03
Anonymous user 10.04.2013 19:38
Nukes are worthless. Sure you obliterate your enemy, then you deal with the worldwide damage.
menachem Har-Zahav 10.04.2013 18:21
Anonymous user 10.04.2013 17:55
Anonymous user 10.04.2013 17:23
Anonymous user 10.04.2013 16:48
Anonymous user 10.04.2013 16:30
Anonymous user 10.04.2013 16:24
Anonymous user 10.04.2013 16:03
Anonymous user 10.04.2013 16:00
Anonymous user 10.04.2013 15:23
Alex Povolotski 10.04.2013 15:21
Anonymous user 10.04.2013 14:02
Anonymous user 10.04.2013 13:54
Anonymous user 10.04.2013 13:53
Anonymous user 10.04.2013 13:51
Kemampuan Nuklir Rusia Segera Lampaui AS
 |
| Rudal balistik antarbenua Bulava ditembakkan dari kapal selam nuklir Yury Dolgoruky |
ARTILERI - Di masa jabatan yang kedua sebagai presiden Rusia, Vladimir
Putin telah membangun kembali kekuatan pasukan militer Rusia, termasuk
kemampuan nuklirnya yang mencolok sebagai prioritas utama. Berbagai
rudal canggih, pesawat bomber (pembom) dan kapal selam sudah adak di
cetak biru dan sebagian sudah menempati posnya di Angkatan Bersenjata
Rusia. Berbeda dengan Amerika Serikat yang saat ini militernya tengah
menghadapi kemunduran akibat pemotongan besar anggaran pertahanan.
Dari nuklir yang terdapat di tiga matra angkatan bersenjata Rusia
(udara, laut dan darat), sebuah kapal selam nuklir baru yang dirancang
untuk membawa rudal balistik antar-benua telah mendapatkan perhatian
khusus. Moskow saat tengah mengimbangi Amerika Serikat dalam hal nuklir,
kemudian suatu saat akan menyalip persenjataan nuklir Amerika Serikat.
"Selama program modernisasi militer jangka panjang, Rusia telah berada
di jalur yang tepat untuk mencapai paritas, yang pada akhirnya akan
melampaui Amerika Serikat dalam kemampuan nuklir, terutama jika
pemotongan anggaran mengancam kemampuan militer AS," kata Rick Norris,
seorang veteran Angkatan Darat AS, Badan Intelijen Pertahanan, dan juga
sebagai seorang analis yang pendapatnya diakui dalam hal persenjataan
dan kontraterorisme.
Norris membuat pernyataan ini setelah media menghubunginya tentang efektivitas kapal selam rudal balistik terbaru Rusia, Yury Dolgoruky, yang baru saja memulai tugasnya di Angkatan Laut Rusia.
Yury Dolgoruky, dinamai dari pahlawan militer awal Rusia, adalah kapal
selam yang pertama dari kelas Borey yang masuk ke layanan dan kapal
selam berikutnya yaitu Vladimir Monomakh
(sekarang sedang uji coba laut) dan Alexander Nevsky (masih dibangun)
dijadwalkan akan segera bergabung dalam waktu dekat. Total semua kapal
selam kelas ini yang berjumlah 8 akan segera selesai.
Di atas kertas, Yury Dolgoruky adalah kapal selam rudal balistik
antarbenua paling canggih yang dimiliki Rusia, yang rudal Bulava
("Mace") adalah rudal yang terbang rendah (akan sulit dideteksi radar),
hipersonik, serta berhulu ledak ganda.
Rudal yang terbang rendah seperti Bulava sangat berbahaya. Selama Perang
Dingin, para analis militer AS yakin bahwa Uni Soviet mampu meluncurkan
serangan rudal "terbang rendah" yang bisa menghancurkan, dengan
peringatan sangat sedikit (sulit dideteksi) oleh sistem pertahanan rudal
AS, menurut Norris.
Rudal Bulava ini dimaksudkan sebagai perbaikan dari kemampuan Soviet sebelumnya. Rudal Bulava memiliki sistem bimbingan (guidance)
otonom (sendiri) dan mampu mengubah ketinggian dengan cepat yang tentu
saja untuk menghindari sistem pertahanan anti-rudal. Kapal selam kelas
Borey mampu membawa sebanyak 20 rudal Bulava, Norris menyatakan. -Tiga
kelas Borey pertama dilengkapi dengan 16 rudal balistik Bulava, namun
kelas Borey berikutnya dilengkapi dengan 20 rudal Bulava-
Moskow berencana untuk menggunakan kapal selam kelas Borey di Atlantik
maupun di Pasifik. Semakin banyak patroli kapal selam jenis ini di
perairan perbatasan Amerika, maka akan menjadi kekhawatiran serius bagi
Amerika, ujar Norris.
 |
| Konsep bomber strategis PAK DA |
Rusia juga meningkatkan kemampuan tempur nuklirnya di aspek lain. Selain
modernisasi armada pesawat bomber, Moskow sedang mengembangkan generasi
berikutnya bomber strategis masa depan, mungkin secara rahasia, bomber
tersebut dikenal dengan PAK DA. Seiring dengan patroli kapal selamnya, pesawat bomber Rusia juga akan berkeliaran di sepanjang perbatasan Amerika Serikat.
Salah satu yang ambisius dari kebangkitan Rusia pasca Perang ingin
adalah kembalinya rencana pengembangan missile train (kereta/kendaraan
rudal). Pada Era Uni Soviet, kendaraan rudal tertentu akan membawa
fasilitas rudal balistik. Kendaran rudal sulit untuk dideteksi karena
keberadaannya bisa di mana saja.
Ilmuwan dan teknisi Rusia sekarang sedang mengembangkan kendaraan
bertenaga nuklir (untuk membawa rudal) untuk meniadakan penggunaan tiga
mesin yang harus selalu mengisi bahan bakar dan akomodasi-akomodasi lain
yang diperlukan. Sebuah prototipe dari kendaraan/lokomotif turbin gas,
yang juga busa menarik kereta rudal, telah berhasil dibuat dan diuji
coba.
Moskow sangat serius dalam intensi untuk mengembalikan posisinya sebagai
kekuatan nuklir dunia. Dorongan politik mempengaruhi persenjataan rusia
terdeteksi dalam Tweet yang dikirim oleh Wakil Perdana Menteri Rusia
Dmitry Rogozin dan hal ini sangat menarik perhatian Norris. Rogozin
membuat Tweet setelah kapal selam Yury Dolgoruky resmi ditugaskan ke
Armada Utara Angkatan Bersenjata Rusia. (FS)
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