Mattis: Putin Claims of New Weapons Doesn’t Change Russian Capability

From the Pentagon

By Terri Moon CronkDoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, March 11, 2018 —

Defense Secretary James N. Mattis said he sees no change in Russia’s military capability in light of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent speech in which he said Russia has nuclear weapons capable of attacking the United States.

The secretary called Putin’s remarks “disappointing, but unsurprising.”

Mattis spoke with reporters aboard a plane bound for Oman as part of an overseas trip designed to strengthen relationships.

“I looked at President Putin’s speech, and like many of us, I focused on the last third of it,” Mattis said.  “The first two-thirds [was] clearly about domestic issues, but also opportunities in that first two-thirds, as I was reading it.  And I tried to forget that I … knew what the last third was about — that you would actually see opportunities there to reduce the tensions between the NATO countries, the Western countries, the nations that want to live by international law, maintain sovereignty and territorial integrity of everyone, and the Russian Federation.”

Strategic Assessment