The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War. This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident, with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy, and the trident symbolizing Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem. "The navy, as it represents a necessary weapon for Greece, should only be created for war and aim to victory."...............The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Nowadays, Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world, which is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism and forms the backbone of world shipping. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags, however some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.

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This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς....This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς.........

Friday, April 9, 2010

The Nuclear Arsenals[ 864 ]

US and Russian nuclear arsenals

BBCThursday, 8 April 2010 19:11 UK

US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, signed a landmark nuclear arms treaty in the Czech capital, Prague on Thursday.

The treaty commits the former Cold War enemies to each reduce the number of deployed strategic warheads to 1,550 - 30% lower than the previous ceiling. Here is a breakdown of their respective arsenals.

USA			RUSSIA
Intercontinental ballistic missile

Name	No.	Warheads	Name	No.	Warheads
Minuteman^*	450	550	SS-18 (Satan)	50	500
			SS-19 (Stiletto)	60	360
			SS-25 (Sickle)	150	150
			SS-27 (Topol)^*	71	80
SUBTOTAL	450	550		331	1,990
Submarine-launched ballistic missiles

Name	No.	Warheads	Name	No.	Warheads
Trident	288	1,152	SS-N-18 M1 (Stingray)	64	192
			SS-N-23^* (Skiff & Sineva)	96	384
SUBTOTAL	288	1,152		144	576
Bombers

Name	No.	Warheads	Name	No.	Warheads
B52 Stratofortress	44	350	Tu-95 (Bear)	62	682
B-2A Spirit^*	16	150	Tu-160 (Blackjack)^*	13	156
SUBTOTAL	60	500		75	838
Nonstrategic (short-range) forces

Name	No.	Warheads	Name	No.	Warheads
Tomahawk^* cruise missile	325	100	53T6 (Gazelle)	68	68
B61 bombs		400	SA-10 (Grumble)^*	1,900	630
			Bombers/fighters	524	650
			Subs/Ships/Air		700
SUBTOTAL	325	500		1,492	2,000
TOTAL	1,123	2,702		2,042	4,600
Source: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Note: Names in brackets are those used by Nato. Those names with an "*" next to them are pictured.

Photo Credits: Getty, AFP, Airteamimages.com , GlobalSecurity.Org

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