Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeev says that the new strategic policy NATO adopted at its recent 50th anniversary meeting will force Russia to modify its defense philosophy. Changes will pertain not only to the strategic deterrence forces but also to general-purpose troops.

Moscow is alarmed at NATO's new world view, by which it uses force outside its domain without United Nations approval. Russians also worry about the possibility of NATO's further enlargement, specifically the incorporation of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.

In December 1998, a delegation of Russian lawmakers and General Headquarters chief General Anatolii Kvashnin visited the United States to discuss the military relationship between Russia and NATO. Russian politicians and generals complained that the United States and NATO did not respect Russia's opinions in world politics.

That same month, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defense Roman Popkovich declared that NATO's new attitude might destroy many of the achievements of the post-Cold War period. During his visit to the United States, Popkovich stressed that Russia pledged not to use nuclear arms against non-nuclear countries in its draft military doctrine, and he emphasized that Russia's strategic nuclear forces were for deterrence, not first strike.

Although it is difficult to pinpoint how Russia's defense philosophy has changed since December 1998, it is likely that the official prohibition of using nuclear arms against non-nuclear countries will change.

On March 15, 1999, Russian President Boris Yeltsin approved a document called "Main Provisions of Russia's Nuclear Deterrence Policy." The document declares Russia's nuclear forces as the guarantor of national security and a means to deter aggression against Russia or its allies. It says nothing about Russia's stance toward the possibility of first nuclear strike or using nuclear arms against non-nuclear countries.

The document's approval came shortly before the official entry of Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary into NATO, and obviously it was a kind of reply to possible threats posed to Russia by NATO.

In May 1997, Secretary of the Security Council Ivan Rybkin and his deputy Boris Berezovskii noted in a draft security plan that Russia reserved the right to deliver a first nuclear strike. The plan adopted later that year stated that "Russia reserves the right to use all means at its disposal, including nuclear arms, when confronting an aggression threatening the very existence of the Russian Federation as an independent sovereign state."

Although the document does not expressly reserve the right to a first nuclear strike, it follows that such a strike can be dealt in a situation where Russia faces aggression, even by non-nuclear countries.

The military doctrine of the United States contains a similar provision. Several weeks before the adoption of the plan in late 1997, United States President Bill Clinton signed a directive establishing that his country may use nuclear arms against countries possessing chemical or bacteriological weapons.

Article 63 of NATO's strategic policy reads that "circumstances where the question of using nuclear arms may arise appear completely unrealistic." Despite NATO's policy discouraging the use of nuclear weapons, the bombs NATO is using in Yugoslavia contain uranium kernels. Although they do not produce nuclear explosions, these bombs have greater explosive force and inflict radioactive pollution on the environment.

Russian Deputy Minister of Nuclear Energy Viktor Mikhailov says the United States may have been developing a mini H-bomb that produces low radioactive pollution and could be used in local wars.

Russia understands that its romance with NATO is over. The Security Council convened a super-secret meeting on April 29 to discuss the current status and prospects for developing the country's nuclear capabilities. According to an official release by Security Council members, in addition to problems of upgrading and developing the country's strategic nuclear forces, the meeting raised the possibility of using non-strategic nuclear arms. Apparently, the issue was prompted by NATO's new strategic policy, which permits deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in NATO member countries. In certain circumstances, such as NATO's further enlargement or confrontation, tactical nuclear arms may become vitally important for Russia and its allies. After all, NATO may deploy nuclear weapons within several hundred kilometers of Moscow.

In response, Russia is revising its defense policy and seeking to boost its military potential and to find new allies and partners in the world. This will be hugely expensive and may trigger a new arms race.