#Nuclear Threats

The Pentagon has quietly taken a major step toward building the first American space-based interceptors—weapons designed to strike enemy ballistic missiles in the opening seconds after launch, while they’re still clawing upward through the atmosphere and unable to maneuver.

As Russia faces mounting military and political setbacks, Russian leader Vladimir Putin is increasingly leaning on nuclear threats—from “unlimited-range” missiles to doomsday torpedoes—to project strength that experts say the Kremlin can no longer guarantee.