Committee on Armed Services House of Rep

Russian Military Developments and Strategic Implications Committee on Armed Services House of Rep

Publisher Marketing: The events unfolding in Ukraine are deeply troubling, from Russia's invasion and occupation of a sovereign country to its amassing of tens of thousands of troops along Ukraine's borders and further north under the ruse of conducting snap exercises. Just this past weekend, we saw reports that Russia is provoking further unrest in eastern Ukraine, attempting to create a reason to invade. Yet these actions are only the most recent and perhaps most aggressive of a broader campaign to challenge the West and to reestablish a Russian sphere of influence in Europe. Mr. Putin is directing a multidimensional military modernization effort. Russia is re-arming at an alarming rate, with military spending up roughly 30 percent. It stands in flagrant violation of a major nuclear arms control treaty and, under the New START [Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty] Treaty, is building up its nuclear forces by over 100 warheads since the last declaration, while the U. S. reduces its own forces. As former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recently wrote in an op-ed, "Mr. Putin is playing a long game, and the West must also play a strategic long game. Yet the administration's policies have rested largely on reset, cooperation, and further nuclear cuts."