Russia plans to reinstate rail-based nuclear missile system in 2014

Moscow plans to revive the rail-based nuclear missile system to counter the US Prompt Global Strike Program, a high-ranking officer said Wednesday. "The order has been given to develop a preliminary design of a rail-mounted missile system," Commander of the Russian Strategic Missile Force Sergei Karakayev told reporters, confirming that the Defense Ministry has submitted a report about planned deployment of the system to President Vladimir Putin. The design of the rail-based missiles will start in the first half of 2014 in the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology, which also designs the submarine-launched Bulava inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), Karakayev said. Rail-based missiles camouflaged as cargo trains used to be on service in the Soviet Union and Russia but were decommissioned in 2005. Russia is interested in the re-deployment of the rail-mounted ICBMs because their mobility and the extent of Russia's national railway network can provide the missiles with higher survivability compared to ground-based launchers. The Prompt Global Strike Program envisages development of long-range missiles with non-nuclear warheads to supplement the nuclear first-strike weapons. Last week, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who is in charge of the military-industrial complex, warned that if Russia comes under attack, it could use nuclear weapons "in certain circumstances." On Tuesday, Karakayev said Russia needed at least 1,500 nuclear warheads for strategic containment. Possessing about 400 ICBM launchers, Russia plans to spend more than 46 billion rubles (1.4 billion US dollars) on nuclear weapons building and maintenance during 2014-2016.