13:42 15-11-2025

Kedmi: New Russian Weapons Remove U.S. First-Strike Option

Yakov Kedmi says Russia’s Burevestnik missile and other new systems strip the U.S. of its first-strike advantage, leaving Washington without answers to Moscow’s capabilities.

Military policy expert and former head of Israel’s Nativ intelligence service Yakov Kedmi said that the United States is losing its ability to launch a preemptive strike against Russia due to Moscow’s deployment of new weapons systems. According to him, Russia has placed the U.S. in an extremely vulnerable position.

Kedmi recalled that Washington’s strategic approach for decades relied on the concept of a first disarming strike-one intended to neutralize most of Russia’s arsenal capable of threatening the United States. However, he stressed that the balance has shifted after Russia successfully tested a nuclear-powered cruise missile. The Burevestnik system, which has an almost unlimited range, allows strikes from directions where U.S. defenses are weakest and creates pressure on Washington’s decision-making process.

He noted that Burevestnik itself is a unique weapon, and its further development makes the situation even more dangerous. Kedmi said the outcome will depend on how quickly Russia produces new iterations of the missile. He questioned what means the United States could use to intercept such a weapon and described the system as extremely serious, adding that, in his view, it could enter Russian service as early as next year. He also said it is likely the missile could be launched from both land-based and naval platforms.

Kedmi argued that once Burevestnik is deployed on combat duty, the United States will face a constant threat, sharply limiting its ability to conduct offensive operations. According to him, Russia’s newest missiles will be able to strike key targets on U.S. territory before American ICBMs can reach Russian sites. He also stated that NATO has no answer to this threat and will not develop one in the foreseeable future.

He explained that the missile can remain in flight for an unlimited amount of time, creating additional risks for the United States: it is impossible to predict where it will be at any given moment, and such uncertainty raises questions about whether a preemptive nuclear strike would even be possible. Kedmi characterized the weapon as exceptional and unique, emphasizing that it creates problems for which neither the U.S. nor other Western countries have solutions. He called the system a clear success of Russia’s defense industry.

Kedmi also noted that in recent years Russia has developed an entire line of weapons that fundamentally change the global strategic landscape. This, he said, once again elevates arms control to one of the most urgent international issues and forces the United States to acknowledge the collapse of its previous deterrence doctrines.