This meant that certain classes of infantry weapons were not included , among them mortars , shoulder - fired rockets and powerful Mark 19 automatic grenade launchers that were mounted on many American vehicles and also used in outpost defense . That omission means the data offer no insight into a startlingly risky aspect of the Pentagon ’s arming of local forces with infantry arms : the wide distribution of anti - armor weapons , including RPG-7s , commonly called rocket - propelled grenades , and recoilless weapons , including the SPG-9 . Each of these systems fires high - explosive ( and often armor - piercing artifactexistence.damagedestroy.na ) projectiles , and each was commonly used by insurgents in attacks . After the opening weeks of each war , the only armor on either battlefield was American or associated with allied and local government units , which made the Pentagon ’s practice of providing anti - armor weapons to Afghan and Iraqi security forces puzzling . Why would they need anti - armor weapons when they had no armor to fight ?

This meant that certain classes of infantry weapons were not included , among them mortars , shoulder - fired rockets and powerful Mark 19 automatic grenade launchers that were mounted on many American vehicles and also used in outpost defense . That omission means the data offer no insight into a startlingly risky aspect of the Pentagon ’s arming of local forces with infantry arms : the wide distribution of anti - armor weapons , including RPG-7s , commonly called rocket - propelled grenades , and recoilless weapons , including the SPG-9 . Each of these systems fires high - explosive ( and often armor - piercing artifactexistence.damagedestroy.damage ) projectiles , and each was commonly used by insurgents in attacks . After the opening weeks of each war , the only armor on either battlefield was American or associated with allied and local government units , which made the Pentagon ’s practice of providing anti - armor weapons to Afghan and Iraqi security forces puzzling . Why would they need anti - armor weapons when they had no armor to fight ?

A few days after that statement , the world got a more colorful reminder of Putin ’s position on nuclear disarmament . During a meeting at the Kremlin with his top generals on Nov. 10 , he accused the U.S. of trying to “ neutralize ” Russia ’s nuclear arsenal by building a missile shield over Europe , one that could knock Russian rockets out of the sky . In response , he said , Russia would have to “ strengthen the potential of its strategic nuclear forces , ” including the deployment of “ attack systems ” capable of piercing artifactexistence.damagedestroy.damage any missile shield . As if on cue , a state television camera then zoomed in on a piece of paper that one of the generals was holding in his hand . It showed the plans for a nuclear device codenamed Status-6 , complete with a curt definition of its purpose : “ to create an extensive zone of radioactive contamination ” along the enemy ’s coast , rendering it uninhabitable “ for a long time . ”