MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian state television has listed U.S. military facilities that Moscow would target in the event of a nuclear strike, and said that a hypersonic missile Russia is developing would be able to hit them in less than five minutes.

The targets included the Pentagon and the presidential retreat in Camp David, Maryland.

The report, unusual even by the sometimes bellicose standards of Russian state TV, was broadcast on Sunday evening, days after President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was militarily ready for a “Cuban Missile”-style crisis if the United States wanted one.

With tensions rising over Russian fears that the United States might deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe as a Cold War-era arms-control treaty unravels, Putin has said Russia would be forced to respond by placing hypersonic nuclear missiles on submarines near U.S. waters.

The United States says it has no immediate plans to deploy such missiles in Europe and has dismissed Putin’s warnings as disingenuous propaganda. It does not currently have ground-based intermediate-range nuclear missiles that it could place in Europe.

However, its decision to quit the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty over an alleged Russian violation, something Moscow denies, has freed it to start developing and deploying such missiles.

Putin has said Russia does not want a new arms race, but has also dialled up his military rhetoric.

The Pentagon said that Putin’s threats only helped unite NATO.

“Every time Putin issues these bombastic threats and touts his new doomsday devices, he should know he only deepens NATO’s resolve to work together to ensure our collective security,” Eric Pahon, a Pentagon spokesman, said.

Some analysts have seen his approach as a tactic to try to re-engage the United States in talks about the strategic balance between the two powers, for which Moscow has long pushed, with mixed results.

In the Sunday evening broadcast, Dmitry Kiselyov, presenter of Russia’s main weekly TV news show ‘Vesti Nedeli’, showed a map of the United States and identified several targets he said Moscow would want to hit in the event of a nuclear war.

The targets, which Kiselyov described as U.S. presidential or military command centers, also included Fort Ritchie, a military training center in Maryland closed in 1998, McClellan, a U.S. Air Force base in California closed in 2001, and Jim Creek, a naval communications base in Washington state.

Kiselyov, who is close to the Kremlin, said the “Tsirkon” (‘Zircon’) hypersonic missile that Russia is developing could hit the targets in less than five minutes if launched from Russian submarines.

Hypersonic flight is generally taken to mean traveling through the atmosphere at more than five times the speed of sound.

FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia February 20, 2019. Yuri Kadobnov/Pool via REUTERS

“For now, we’re not threatening anyone, but if such a deployment takes place, our response will be instant,” he said.

Kiselyov is one of the main conduits of state television’s strongly anti-American tone, once saying Moscow could turn the United States into radioactive ash.

Asked to comment on Kiselyov’s report, the Kremlin said on Monday it did not interfere in state TV’s editorial policy.</s>MOSCOW, February 25. /TASS/. Although he declared Moscow’s readiness for proportionate response to the United States’ hypothetical deployment of intermediate and shorter range missiles in Eastern Europe in his annual state-of-the-nation address to the Federal Assembly on February 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin did not name any geographic site Russian missiles might be aimed at, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on Monday.

"The president said that if our country is under threat and intermediate and shorter range missiles are deployed near its borders, a proportionate response will have to be made and our missiles targeted not only at the launchers, but at the territories where the center of decision-making is located. Please remember that the president did not mention a single geographic name in this connection," Peskov said.

In this way replied to a request for commenting on last weekend’s broadcast on the Rossiya-1 television channel in which journalists speculated what targets in the US territory Russian missiles might be targeted at.

Peskov refused to make any comments on the content of the broadcast.

"We never intervene in the editorial policies of our television channels, even government-run ones, and we cannot do so. In this particular case the question should be addressed to the broadcaster," he added.</s>RUSSIAN state television has listed US military targets Moscow could hit within five minutes with hypersonic nuclear missiles.

They include the Pentagon and the presidential retreat in Camp David, Maryland. The report was broadcast on Sunday evening, days after President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was militarily ready for a "Cuban Missile"-style crisis if the United States wanted one. Tensions are rising over Russian fears that the US might deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe as a Cold War-era arms-control treaty unravels. Putin has said Russia would be forced to respond by placing hypersonic nuclear missiles on submarines near US waters.

The US said it has no immediate plans to deploy such missiles in Europe and has dismissed Putin's warnings as propaganda. It does not currently have ground-based intermediate-range nuclear missiles that it could place in Europe. However, its decision to quit the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty over an alleged Russian violation, something Moscow denies, has freed it to start developing and deploying such missiles.

Vladimir Putin has said Russia does not want a new arms race, but has also dialled up his military rhetoric. The Pentagon said that Putin's threats only helped unite NATO. "Every time Putin issues these bombastic threats and touts his new doomsday devices, he should know he only deepens NATO's resolve to work together to ensure our collective security," Eric Pahon, a Pentagon spokesman, said. Some analysts have seen his approach as a tactic to try to re-engage the US in talks about the strategic balance between the two powers, for which Moscow has long pushed, with mixed results.

In the Sunday evening broadcast, Dmitry Kiselyov, presenter of Russia's main weekly TV news show Vesti Nedeli, showed a map of the US and identified several targets he said Moscow would want to hit in the event of a nuclear war. The targets, which Kiselyov described as US presidential or military command centres, also included Fort Ritchie, a military training centre in Maryland closed in 1998. McClellan, a US Air Force base in California closed in 2001, and Jim Creek, a naval communications base in Washington state, were also pointed out. Kiselyov, who is close to the Kremlin, said the Tsirkon (Zircon) hypersonic missile that Russia is developing could hit the targets in less than five minutes if launched from Russian submarines.</s>Russian state television has broadcast a list of US military facilities that it claimed Moscow would target in the event of a nuclear strike.

The development comes just days after President Vladimir Putin's annual address to parliament during which he said Russia would retaliate if Washington deployed any missiles in Europe.

The targets named by the TV report included the Pentagon and the presidential retreat at Camp David in Maryland.

In the Sunday evening broadcast, Dmitry Kiselyov, presenter of Russia's main weekly TV news show "Vesti Nedeli", showed a map of the United States and identified several targets he claimed Moscow would want to hit in the event of a nuclear war.

The targets, which Kiselyov described as US presidential or military command centres, also included Fort Ritchie, a military training centre in Maryland closed in 1998; McClellan, a US Air Force base in California closed in 2001; and Jim Creek, a naval communications base in Washington state.

In language that observers say was unusual, Kiselyov, known for his close relationship with the Kremlin, said Russia has hypersonic missiles that could hit the targets in less than five minutes if they were launched from Russian submarines.

In his address to lawmakers, Putin said Moscow was militarily ready for a "Cuban Missile"-style crisis if the US wanted one.

Russia fears that Washington might deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe as a Cold War-era arms-control treaty unravels.

READ MORE: Russia joins US in suspending Cold War-era nuclear arms treaty

Were that to happen Putin has said Russia would be forced to respond by placing hypersonic nuclear missiles on submarines near US waters.

The US says it has no immediate plans to deploy such missiles in Europe and has dismissed Putin's warnings as disingenuous propaganda. It does not currently have ground-based intermediate-range nuclear missiles that it could place in Europe.

However, its decision to quit the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty over an alleged Russian violation, something Moscow denies, has freed it to start developing and deploying such missiles.

Putin has said Russia does not want a new arms race, but has nevertheless ratcheted up his military rhetoric.

Asked to comment on the TV report, the Kremlin said on Monday it did not interfere in state TV's editorial policy.

However in a statement on the state news agency TASS, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had made no reference to specific geographical locations in his speech to parliament.</s>Maryland doesn’t stand much of a chance should the United States and Russia come to nuclear blows.

It’s not only next to Washington, but also home to Fort Meade and the National Security Agency, Aberdeen Proving Ground and the Camp David presidential retreat.

Camp David, nestled in the Catoctin Mountains near Thurmont, was among five targets listed on Russian state television for that nation’s hypersonic missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead within five minutes.

The bellicose threat by Dmitry Kiselyov, host of Russia’s main weekly TV news show “Vesti Nedeli,” came after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the U.S. not to deploy new missiles to Europe.

Other targets included the Pentagon, the Jim Creek Naval Radio Station in Washington State, McClellan Air Force Base outside Sacramento, Calif., and Fort Ritchie, a few miles northwest of Camp David.

Camp David, the Pentagon and Jim Creek, a powerful radio station that broadcasts to ships and submarines around the world, make sense, but those last two are peculiar. Both McClellan and Fort Ritchie were closed in the 1990s.

Since 1997, state and local officials have struggled to find new uses for Fort Ritchie, which sprawls across 600 acres in Washington County with old stone buildings, spruce trees and two lakes.

Recently, a South Korean developer backed out of plans to buy most of the base for $6 million, according to the Herald-Mail in Hagerstown.

Perhaps, the developer heard about Russia’s targeting.

While Fort Ritchie may be fallow ground, it is just a handful of miles from Raven Rock Mountain Complex, a nuclear bunker across the border in southern Pennsylvania considered by some an “underground Pentagon.” Some believe that Raven Rock was the “secure undisclosed location” used by Vice President Dick Cheney in the aftermath on the 9/11 attacks.

So Russia, what do you have against Fort Ritchie?</s>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian state television has listed U.S. military facilities that Moscow would target in the event of a nuclear strike, and said that a hypersonic missile Russia is developing would be able to hit them in less than five minutes.

The targets included the Pentagon and the presidential retreat in Camp David, Maryland.

The report, unusual even by the sometimes bellicose standards of Russian state TV, was broadcast on Sunday evening, days after President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was militarily ready for a "Cuban Missile"-style crisis if the United States wanted one.

With tensions rising over Russian fears that the United States might deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe as a Cold War-era arms-control treaty unravels, Putin has said Russia would be forced to respond by placing hypersonic nuclear missiles on submarines near U.S. waters.

The United States says it has no immediate plans to deploy such missiles in Europe and has dismissed Putin's warnings as disingenuous propaganda. It does not currently have ground-based intermediate-range nuclear missiles that it could place in Europe.

However, its decision to quit the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty over an alleged Russian violation, something Moscow denies, has freed it to start developing and deploying such missiles.

Putin has said Russia does not want a new arms race, but has also dialled up his military rhetoric.

Some analysts have seen his approach as a tactic to try to re-engage the United States in talks about the strategic balance between the two powers, something Moscow has long pushed for, with mixed results.

In the Sunday evening broadcast, Dmitry Kiselyov, presenter of Russia's main weekly TV news show 'Vesti Nedeli', showed a map of the United States and identified several targets he said Moscow would want to hit in the event of a nuclear war.

The targets, which Kiselyov described as U.S. presidential or military command centres, also included Fort Ritchie, a military training centre in Maryland closed in 1998, McClellan, a U.S. Air Force base in California closed in 2001, and Jim Creek, a naval communications base in Washington state.

Kiselyov, who is close to the Kremlin, said the "Tsirkon" ('Zircon') hypersonic missile that Russia is developing could hit the targets in less than five minutes if launched from Russian submarines.

Hypersonic flight is generally taken to mean travelling through the atmosphere at more than five times the speed of sound.

"For now, we're not threatening anyone, but if such a deployment takes place, our response will be instant," he said.

Kiselyov is one of the main conduits of state television’s strongly anti-American tone, once saying Moscow could turn the United States into radioactive ash.

Asked to comment on Kiselyov's report, the Kremlin said on Monday it did not interfere in state TV's editorial policy.

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.

Firstpost is now on WhatsApp. For the latest analysis, commentary and news updates, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Firstpost.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button.</s>Russian state TV has identified American military bases which it says Moscow could strike with hypersonic missiles in the space of five minutes if nuclear war broke out between the two countries.

The Pentagon and presidential retreat near Camp David, in Maryland, topped the list along with Jim Creek, a naval communications base in Washington state.

But the Vesti Nedeli television station also identified two targets - a training center at Fort Ritchie, Maryland, and McClellan Air Force base, California - which are both defunct, having been abandoned in 1998 and 2001 respectively.

It comes after Vladimir Putin warned Russia is ready for a new Cuban Missile Crisis if the US wants one, after President Trump tore up a key Cold War arms treaty.

The report, which was unusual even by the typically aggressive style of Russian TV, was broadcast on Sunday evening.

Russia fears the United States might deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe which were previously banned under the Intermediate Nuclear Forces treaty.

Putin has said Russia would be forced to respond by placing hypersonic nuclear missiles on submarines near U.S. waters.

The United States says it has no immediate plans to deploy such missiles in Europe and has dismissed Putin's warnings as disingenuous propaganda.

It does not currently have ground-based intermediate-range nuclear missiles that it could place in Europe.

However, its decision to quit the 1987 treaty over an alleged Russian violation, something Moscow denies, has freed it to start developing such missiles.

Putin has said Russia does not want a new arms race, but has also dialled up his military rhetoric.

Some analysts have seen his approach as a tactic to try to re-engage the United States in talks about the strategic balance between the two powers, something Moscow has long pushed for, with mixed results.

In the Sunday evening broadcast, Dmitry Kiselyov, presenter of Russia's main weekly TV news show 'Vesti Nedeli', showed a map of the United States and identified several targets he said Moscow would want to hit in the event of a nuclear war.

Kiselyov, who is close to the Kremlin, said the 'Tsirkon' ('Zircon') hypersonic missile that Russia is developing could hit the targets in less than five minutes if launched from Russian submarines.

Hypersonic flight is generally taken to mean travelling through the atmosphere at more than five times the speed of sound.

'For now, we're not threatening anyone, but if such a deployment takes place, our response will be instant,' he said.

Kiselyov is one of the main conduits of state television´s strongly anti-American tone, once saying Moscow could turn the United States into radioactive ash.

Asked to comment on Kiselyov's report, the Kremlin said on Monday it did not interfere in state TV's editorial policy.</s>Russian state TV on Sunday listed potential targets in the U.S. in the event of a nuclear strike and claimed that its new hypersonic missile technology could reach them in less than five minutes.

Reuters called the report “unusual even by the sometimes bellicose standards of Russian state TV.” The targets included the Pentagon and Camp David. The report came days after Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the U.S. against deploying intermediate-range missiles in Europe.

Putin reaffirmed that Russia will not be the first to deploy new intermediate-range missiles in Europe, but warned that it will retaliate if the U.S. puts such missiles on the continent. He said it will not only target the host countries but field new weapons that will target U.S. decision-making centers.

The U.S. insisted that it has no plans to deploy missiles in Europe.

A Putin spokesman said he did not name any “geographic site Russian missiles” might be aimed at. The spokesman said the government does not interfere with news programs.

The Guardian reported that other U.S. sites included Maryland’s Fort Ritchie, McClellan air force base in California and Jim Creek naval communications base in Washington state.</s>With US-Russia relations deteriorating rapidly in the aftermath of the collapse of the INF nuclear arms treaty, which prompted Russia's Vladimir Putin to slam the US for "demolishing" global security, Russian state television listed U.S. military facilities that Moscow would target in the event of a nuclear strike, in a report which Reuters said "was unusual even by its own bellicose standards" and said that a hypersonic missile Russia is developing would be able to hit them in less than five minutes. The targets included the Pentagon, Forth Ritchie and the presidential retreat in Camp David, Maryland. A hypersonic missile Russia is developing would be able to hit them in less than five minutes, it said.

The report was broadcast on Sunday evening, days after President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was militarily ready for a “Cuban Missile”-style crisis if the United States wanted one.

In the Sunday evening broadcast, Dmitry Kiselyov, presenter of Russia’s main weekly TV news show ‘Vesti Nedeli’, showed a map of the United States and identified several targets he said Moscow would want to hit in the event of a nuclear war. The targets, which Kiselyov described as U.S. presidential or military command centers, also included Fort Ritchie, a military training center in Maryland closed in 1998, McClellan, a U.S. Air Force base in California closed in 2001, and Jim Creek, a naval communications base in Washington state.

Kiselyov, who is close to the Kremlin, said the “Tsirkon” (‘Zircon’) hypersonic missile - which reportedly can travel at five times the speed of sound - that Russia is developing could hit the targets in less than five minutes if launched from Russian submarines.

“For now, we’re not threatening anyone, but if such a deployment takes place, our response will be instant,” he said.

As Reuters notes, Kiselyov is one of the main conduits of state television’s strongly anti-American tone, once saying Moscow could turn the United States into radioactive ash. Asked to comment on Kiselyov’s report, the Kremlin said on Monday it did not interfere in state TV’s editorial policy.

In the aftermath of Trump's suspension of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), and with tensions rising over Russian fears that the United States might deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe as a Cold War-era arms-control treaty unravels, Putin has said Russia would be forced to respond by placing hypersonic nuclear missiles on submarines near U.S. waters.

In response, the United States says it has no immediate plans to deploy such missiles in Europe and has dismissed Putin’s warnings as disingenuous propaganda. While the US does not currently have ground-based intermediate-range nuclear missiles that it could place in Europe, the decision to quit the 1987 Treaty over an alleged Russian violation - something Moscow denies - has freed it to start developing and deploying such missiles.

Putin has said Russia does not want a new arms race, but has also dialled up his military rhetoric.

Some analysts have seen his approach as a tactic to try to re-engage the United States in talks about the strategic balance between the two powers, something Moscow has long pushed for. Meanwhile, the collapse of the INF has freed US-based neocon warmongers and defense companies to start preparing for the inevitable next (nuclear) arms race between the two nations. The only question is not if but when China decides to officially join.</s>Our latest glimpse at Russia's hit list reveals a batch of targets that's decidedly weird.

On Sunday, February 24 Russian state television broadcast a map of targets it said could be hit by the new nuclear weapons President Vladimir Putin is threatening to bring online. The report mentioned several facilities, some very small and manned by less than two dozen people, in isolated areas near U.S. coastlines. On the outside, some of them have no apparent military use, but Popular Mechanics has uncovered the role of at least one of them in American nuclear war planning.

The reason behind this posturing is the impending possible end to the U.S.-Russian INF Treaty that bans certain nuclear weapons. Putin, concerned that the United States could reintroduce intermediate-range ballistic missiles into Western Europe that could strike Moscow in minutes, to counter any such deployment with a Russian deployment of cruise and hypersonic missiles. These missiles would be based nearby or on submarines cruising off the North American coastline.

In the TV report, Russian state presenter Dmitry Kiselyov, the UK’s Guardian newspaper as “close to the Kremlin,” listed a number of targets scattered across the U.S. that would be struck by the new weapons, stating they could be hit in five minutes or less. (The American Pershing II missile, banned by the INF Treaty, could theoretically hit Moscow in as little as six minutes .)

According to Reuters the targets were described as “U.S. presidential or military command centers,” and included the Pentagon and the presidential retreat at Camp David. The list also included Fort Ritchie, Maryland, McClellan Air Force Base, California, and Jim Creek, Washington.

Some of the targets, such as the Pentagon and Camp David, are obvious targets in wartime. Others are more obscure or a downright mystery. Fort Ritchie was an above-ground command center for Site R, also known as , which was an underground facility designed to shelter the federal government in the event of nuclear war. However, Fort Ritchie’s role evolved away from supporting the underground facility, and it was closed completely in 1998.

located outside Sacramento, Calif., was the headquarters of Air Force Material Command, but was closed in 2001. Today, McClellan is home to the Air Force's High Frequency Global Communications System, West Coast facility. HFGS is a worldwide network of communications outposts meant to act as relays for phone, data, and messaging for U.S. forces worldwide. It also broadcasts command and control messages for the U.S. nuclear arsenal, including orders to launch.

The last facility, , is a communications facility designed to link the U.S. Navy with its ballistic missile submarines that operate out of Kitsap, Washington. Located 55 miles northeast of Seattle, Jim Creek is home to 21 U.S. government personnel that keep the location’s AN/FRT-3 Very Low Frequency (VLF) Radio Transmitting System running 24/7. The facility has more than 360 miles of copper cable conductors to act as a giant antenna.

Between McClellan and Jim Creek the two facilities handle the bulk of nuclear command and control on the West Coast. The loss of both to a nuclear first strike would cripple America's ability to respond with nukes in kind. By publicly targeting these locations, Russia is stating it has the ability to gain the upper hand early on in a nuclear conflict, negating any perceived American advantage. As for Fort Ritchie, the former Army base's inclusion on the list is still a mystery. Russian state media may have misidentified the facility, or it may have some secret role in America's nuclear warfighting system. 



Thanks to Bryan Herbert (Twitter: @KE6ZGP) for information on the High Frequency Global Communications System.
Following Vladimir Putin's warning that Russia would deploy nuclear missiles in Europe if the United States deploys intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Europe, Putin's ally Dmitry Kiselyov lists what he claims are the targets in the United States, which includes The Pentagon, Camp David, Fort Ritchie, McClellan Air Force Base, and Jim Creek Naval Radio Station. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denies the existence of the target list.