US Defense Secretary Ash Carter Says Russia is 'Nuclear Saber-Rattling'

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Alex Wong/Getty Images(STUTTGART, Germany) — U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter blasted Russia on Tuesday for its aggressive tactics and “saber-rattling.”

At a ceremony in Stuttgart, Germany to install a new commander of U.S. forces in Europe, Carter crticized Moscow for aggression in Europe, saying they were “going backward in time.”

He said the U.S. did not want to make Russia an enemy: “But make no mistake: We will defend our allies, the rules-based international order, and the positive future it affords us.”

He promised to continue a military build-up on NATO’s eastern flank as a deterrent against war.

“The 20th century NATO playbook that helped create a Europe whole, free, and at peace was effective in its time,” he said. “But it’s not a perfect batch for the 21st century challenges we face and that’s why under [Air Force] Gen. [Philip] Breedlove’s leadership, NATO forces have been writing a new playbook. They’ve been innovating to counter new challenges like cyber and hybrid warfare, integrating conventional and nuclear deterrents, and adjusting our posture and presence so that we can be more agile in responding to new threats.”

At the ceremony to replace Gen. Breedlove with Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti as head of U.S. European Command and the top NATO commander in Europe, Carter also said he was particularly troubled by what he called Russia’s “nuclear saber-rattling.”

“Moscow’s nuclear saber-rattling raises troubling questions about Russia’s leaders’ commitment to strategic stability, their respect for norms against the use of nuclear weapons, and whether they respect the profound caution that nuclear-age leaders showed with regard to brandishing nuclear weapons,” he said.

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