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MOSCOW, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Russia's Strategic Missile Forces will begin operating a second regiment armed with Topol-M mobile missile systems by the end of the year.
The single-warhead Topol-M is an advanced version of the silo-based and mobile Topol-based inter-continental missile. It is the mainstay of the ground-based component of Russia's nuclear triad.
"We will complete the rearmament of the second missile regiment in the Teikovo division with mobile Topol-M systems," Lt. Gen. Andrei Shvaichenko was quoted as saying in Russia media after a news conference.
The nuclear-capable missile has a range of up to 6,800 miles, outranking any listed U.S. defense missile system.
"It is capable of making evasive maneuvers to avoid a kill using terminal phase interceptors and carries targeting countermeasures and decoys," Defensetalk reported. "It is also shielded against radiation, electromagnetic pulse, nuclear blasts and is designed to survive a hit from any form of laser technology."
The first Topol-M mobile missile unit is deployed northeast of Moscow. In all, however, Russia has six road-mobile Topol M-missile systems and 50 silo-based units.
News of the second regiment's deployment comes amid the Kremlin's designs to draft a new military doctrine by the end of the year. Reports suggest the new doctrine authorizes the country's armed forces to use nuclear weapons not only in retaliation to conventional attacks but even in pre-emptive strikes against small regional foes, including neighboring Georgia.
The draft doctrine, dubbed "The new face of the Russian Armed Forces until 2030," opts to transform the armed forces into a more effective and mobile military force. It is being developed by the General Staff, due to be presented to President Dmitry Medvedev for final consideration by the end of the year.
The current doctrine -- it was adopted in 2000 -- stresses the defensive strategy of the Russian military. It also encourages Russia's commitment to military reform but steers away from the use of conscripts, shifting towards a professional army.
Last year, Medvedev said Russia would make the modernization of his country's nuclear deterrent and military a priority until 2020. The doctrine has sent shock waves rolling around the world, generating a storm of controversy among military analysts.
In fact, critics argue that it's "bizarre to lower the threshold for using atomic weaponry at a time when Moscow is trying to negotiate radical reductions in strategic warheads with the United States," the Christian Science Monitor reported this week.
It remains unclear, however, whether final version of the new doctrine will include its provocative points on pre-emptive strikes.
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