Russia has raised the idea of basing new missile forces in Kaliningrad, close to Poland and Lithuania.
Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov linked the possible move to US plans to locate parts of a new missile defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic.
Russia has already threatened to hit back by targeting missiles at Europe.
Mr Ivanov said there would be no need to move extra forces to Kaliningrad if the US agreed to use Russian facilities instead of the Polish and Czech bases.
Russia says the US plans for a limited missile defence shield represent a threat to its security.
It has proposed that the US should use a radar base in Azerbaijan, and another installation currently being built in southern Russia.
US President George W Bush has described the idea as "innovative" but indicated that the US will press ahead with the plans for a radar station in the Czech Republic, and a missile base in Poland.
"If our proposals are accepted, the need will disappear for Russia to deploy new missile weaponry in the European part of the country, including in Kaliningrad Region, in order to counter the threats that will arise if ABM elements are deployed in the Czech Republic and Poland," Mr Ivanov said, on a visit to Uzbekistan.
I can only assume Ivanov is talking about Iskander-M/Tender SRBMs. I have no idea if they can hit the proposed missile base in Poland with a ~400km range - or if he's simply threatening to move banned (for now) MRBMs into the enclave:-
Ivanov on the Iskander-M back on May 29:
But with the successful tests of the new rockets, Ivanov hinted Moscow may try to end the landmark Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which banned all US and Russian ballistic missiles with a range from 500 to 5,500 kilometres.
"I won't name concrete numbers about (the Iskander-M's) range, but it is raised. For the meantime, it is being managed by the obligations Russia has taken on, but exactly that - for now," Ivanov said from Astrakhan in southern Russia where he addressed a meeting of the government's Military-Industrial Commission.
Start up the replacement program for the SS-20, comrades, we have work to do!
Oh FFS don't give Bush the idea that the cold war is back on.
Though frankly I doubt Russia really wants to get into a missile spending war with the US given how freely Bush throws money around. Nor do I think most of Europe want the US to start stationing some new advanced IRBM / Advanced cruise missile combo. Nor Russia doing the same on their side.
Wouldn't the small area of Kaliningrad enclave greatly complicate the survival of even mobile SSBM/MRBM units? Less land means less trouble for NATO assets to detect such missiles.
Cruise missiles from the Akulas located in the Baltic would be far better for dealing with the Polish and Czech ABM sites.
Turns out that a five way cross over between It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the Ali G Show, Fargo, Idiocracy and Veep is a lot less funny when you're actually living in it.
Wouldn't the small area of Kaliningrad enclave greatly complicate the survival of even mobile SSBM/MRBM units?
Why is that? You can place them in a secure base, then roll out.
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There are no SSNs based in the Baltic Fleet, AFAIK. Kilos, I think. Maybe the first 677 Lada SSK as well, I'd have to check. Still even if there were, there's no word of an equivalent of the Kh-555 ALCMski modifications being done to the Granat SLCMs.
