Russia Seeks Us Help On N-Weapons

Igor Rodionov, Russias defence minister, on Tuesday sought fresh help from his US counterpart, William Cohen, in dismantling nuclear weapons and shrinking the cash-starved Russian military. The minister, an ex-general with a reputation as a tough-minded pragmatist, said after meeting Cohen that he was very optimistic about US-Russian co-operation over military reform and the retraining of servicemen.

In the latest effort to dismantle the legacy of the cold war, the ministers announced a plan to use US funds and expertise to dismantle rocket motor cases and canisters from 410 Soviet-built ballistic missiles.

They also considered extending US-Russian peace-keeping efforts, well established in Bosnia, to hitherto unthinkable areas, such as joint action against foes possessing chemical, biological or ballistic weapons.

Rodionovs arrival coincides with a searching internal review by the US military of how to trim and adapt the armed forces to a post-cold war world.

Any budgetary and strategic problems faced by the US military forces are dwarfed by the catastrophic decline, compounded by defeat in Chechnya, which the Russian military has experienced since the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

But Rodionov will be briefed on the internal reassessment process known as the Quadrennial Defence Review (QDR), due to be completed this week. While dismissive of any direct threat from Russia, Pentagon officials are still worried about Russian transfers of military technology to China; they will press Rodionov to show restraint.

They have noted with alarm some recent statements by Rodionov that Russia may soon have difficulty maintaining systems for controlling strategic nuclear arsenals.

This years strategic assessment by the Institute for National Strategic Studies, a Pentagon-related think-tank, describes both Russia and China as potential theatre peerswhich cannot challenge US interests globally but are potentially capable of military challenges in areas close to their border.

Of more immediate concern to US military planners is the possibility of a regional conflict involving one or more so-called rogue states, such as Iran, Iraq or North Korea. Cohen reaffirmed this week that the QDR, results of which will be made public on Monday, would maintain the principle of preparedness to fight two significant regional wars at virtually the same time, but conservative defence analysts say this capacity may already have been lost.

The QDR is expected to call for the US armed forces, which have been cut by 600,000 troops to about 1.45 million since 1989, to shed tens of thousands more personnel, and close scores of bases, to free money for weapons modernisation.

A few weeks ago, army generals feared the loss of about 150,000 servicemen, according to Defence Week, a specialist publication. But the Pentagon has insisted the QDR will seek retention of all 10 army combat divisions. It will preserve, in reduced numbers, three aircraft programmes whose total cost could reach $350 billion: the air force F-22 stealth fighter, the navy FA-18 E/F and the tri-service joint strike fighter.