Russian President Vladimir Putin bragged this week that a new generation of Russian nuclear weapons would be "years, and perhaps decades ahead of foreign analogues."

Those comments follow a video presentation earlier this year in which new Russian missiles were seen breaking through the clouds and heading straight for what appeared to be Florida.

This week on Wake we’ll take a look at the recent upgrades to Russia’s military capabilities in recent years and consider whether or not upgrades to the country's armed forces should give the US and NATO something to worry about.

Our guests this week:

• Bettina Renz, associate professor of politics and international relations, University of Nottingham, author, “Russia’s Military Revival"
• Dara Massicot, policy researcher at the Rand Corporation

If you enjoy this discussion, follow Wake on Twitter @WakeOnAir. To share feedback with us, send an email to [email protected].

Taped: June 20, 2018

Hosted by Luke Vargas.