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https://voennoedelo.com/en/posts/id13036-scott-ritter-warns-us-can-t-match-russia-s-weapons-edge

Scott Ritter Warns US Can’t Match Russia’s Weapons Edge

Scott Ritter on Why the US Is Losing the Arms Race With Russia

Scott Ritter Warns US Can’t Match Russia’s Weapons Edge

Military analyst Scott Ritter says the United States cannot reach parity with Russia in advanced weapons and calls the delay on the START treaty a major error.

2026-02-11T01:41:01+03:00

2026-02-11T01:41:01+03:00

2026-02-11T01:41:01+03:00

Former US Army intelligence officer and military analyst Scott Ritter argues that Washington has little chance of achieving technological parity with Russia in advanced weapons systems in the foreseeable future. He views this imbalance as the key reason why the United States’ hesitation over extending the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) turned into a serious strategic blunder. Ritter shared this assessment during an interview with Garland Nixon on his YouTube channel. According to the analyst, the technological race in modern weaponry has already been decided. He maintained that the United States is attempting to compete with Russia in arms development despite lacking the ability to come out on top. In his view, Russia secured a decisive advantage back in 2022, when President Vladimir Putin announced the deployment of new weapons systems, which have since entered combat duty. Ritter believes that while Moscow has effectively completed the core stage of this technological race, Washington is still struggling to catch up. That pursuit, he warned, carries the risk of enormous financial costs for the United States, with no guarantee of success. From his perspective, this reality should have pushed the American leadership toward concluding a new arms control agreement with Russia as quickly as possible. Ritter explained that Russia, having already amassed sufficient modern weaponry, is not under urgent pressure to secure such a deal, even though it would not oppose signing one. The situation, he stressed, is fundamentally different for the United States, which had a vital interest in preserving the existing treaty framework. Ritter also placed blame on the advisers surrounding US President Donald Trump, arguing that their guidance ultimately led Washington into a strategic miscalculation with long-term consequences.

Scott Ritter, Russia US arms race, advanced weapons, START treaty, US Russia military balance, strategic arms control, Washington Moscow relations

2026

John Baker

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Scott Ritter on Why the US Is Losing the Arms Race With Russia

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John Baker, Editor

04:41 11-02-2026

Military analyst Scott Ritter says the United States cannot reach parity with Russia in advanced weapons and calls the delay on the START treaty a major error.

Former US Army intelligence officer and military analyst Scott Ritter argues that Washington has little chance of achieving technological parity with Russia in advanced weapons systems in the foreseeable future. He views this imbalance as the key reason why the United States’ hesitation over extending the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) turned into a serious strategic blunder.

Ritter shared this assessment during an interview with Garland Nixon on his YouTube channel. According to the analyst, the technological race in modern weaponry has already been decided. He maintained that the United States is attempting to compete with Russia in arms development despite lacking the ability to come out on top. In his view, Russia secured a decisive advantage back in 2022, when President Vladimir Putin announced the deployment of new weapons systems, which have since entered combat duty.

Ritter believes that while Moscow has effectively completed the core stage of this technological race, Washington is still struggling to catch up. That pursuit, he warned, carries the risk of enormous financial costs for the United States, with no guarantee of success.

From his perspective, this reality should have pushed the American leadership toward concluding a new arms control agreement with Russia as quickly as possible. Ritter explained that Russia, having already amassed sufficient modern weaponry, is not under urgent pressure to secure such a deal, even though it would not oppose signing one. The situation, he stressed, is fundamentally different for the United States, which had a vital interest in preserving the existing treaty framework.

Ritter also placed blame on the advisers surrounding US President Donald Trump, arguing that their guidance ultimately led Washington into a strategic miscalculation with long-term consequences.