Between Russia resuming submarine patrols and sending an aircraft carrier to the Mediteranean, and Iran's missiles, there is now a counterweight to US-NATO-Israel hegemony in the Middle East
Russia
to send nuclear submarines to southern seas
Russia
plans to resume nuclear submarine patrols in the southern seas after
a hiatus of more than 20 years following the break-up of the Soviet
Union, Itar-Tass news agency reported on Saturday, in another example
of efforts to revive Moscow's military.
1
June, 2013
The
plan to send Borei-class submarines, designed to carry 16 long-range
nuclear missiles, to the southern hemisphere follows President
Vladimir Putin's decision in March to deploy a naval unit in the
Mediterranean Sea on a permanent basis starting this year.
"The
revival of nuclear submarine patrols will allow us to fulfill the
tasks of strategic deterrence not only across the North Pole but also
the South Pole," state-run Itar-Tass cited an unnamed official
in the military General Staff as saying.
The
official said the patrols would be phased in over several years. The
Yuri Dolgoruky, the first of eight Borei-class submarines that Russia
hopes to launch by 2020, entered service this year.
Putin
has stressed the importance of a strong and agile military since
returning to the presidency last May. In 13 years in power, he has
often cited external threats when talking of the need for a reliable
armed forces and Russian political unity.
Fears
of a nuclear confrontation between Russia and the United States has
eased in recent years, and the Cold War-era foes signed a landmark
treaty in 2010 setting lower limits on the size of their long-range
nuclear arsenals.
But
the limited numbers of warheads and delivery vehicles such as
submarines that they committed to under the New START treaty are
still enough to devastate the world. Putin has made clear Russia will
continue to upgrade its arsenal.
Russia's
land-launched Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) would fly
over the northern part of the globe, as would those fired from
submarines in the northern hemisphere.
Both
the Borei-class submarines and the Bulava ballistic missiles they
carry were designed in the 1990s, when the science and defense
industries were severely underfunded.
Russia
sees the Bulava as the backbone of its future nuclear deterrence, but
the program has been set back by several botched launches over the
past few years.
“No
wonder Syria's ruler shows no sign of backing down.”
Russia
Is Upping The Ante By Sending Its Only Aircraft Carrier To The
Mediterranean
The
Kremlin has upped the geopolitical ante by pledging to send a heavy
aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean, as reported by Russian news
agency Interfax.
1
June, 2013
The
Kremlin has upped the geopolitical ante by pledging to send
a heavy aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean, as
reported by Russian
news agency Interfax.
The
carrier — named the "Admiral Kuznetsov" — is quite the
beast, and word of its addition to the area of operations is
just the latest in jockeying between the U.S. and Russia.
"The
cruiser will ... perform a number of missions in an offshore oceanic
zone as part of a group," Navy Commander Adm. Viktor
Chirkov told Interfax. "Northern Fleet naval pilots will perform
a number of missions on board this cruiser in the long-range
mission."
The
warship holds several sea-based fighters and helicopters,
missiles, anti-submarine systems and a crew of 2,000 people.
Despite
the implications of the new orders, Chirkov nonchalantly tossed
the Admiral Kuznetsov in with the other ships recently
deployed to the Mediterranean.
"After
all, ships from the Northern, Black Sea, and Baltic Fleets will
perform missions as part of this group. So why not," he said.
The heavy
aircraft-carrying missile cruiser is the only one in
Russia's fleet, so its deployment is an unmistakable signal of
Moscow's seriousness about protecting their regional interests, some
of which are directly tied to the fate of Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad and the Syrian port of Tartus.
Google
Maps
The
port of Tartus (A), Syria, which is the site of Russia's only
remaining international military base outside of the former Soviet
Union.
In
November Russia sent six
warships from its Black Sea Fleet to
the Mediterranean in
response to the Israel-Gaza
conflict.
That month the U.S. also began making
moves to increase
the American military presence in the east Mediterranean.
In
May a detachment from Russia’s Pacific Fleet entered
the Mediterranean waters for the first time since the Cold War.
"The
Russian Defense Ministry started setting up a special force of
warships in the Mediterranean in order to protect Russia's interests
in the region," Syria's state-run news agency reported last
month, citing a spokesman for Russia defense ministry.
The
support Russia has provided to the regime of Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad during the 26-month conflict includes guns,
grenades, tank
parts, fighter
jets, advanced
antiship cruise missiles, long-range
air defense missiles, military
officers as advisors, diplomatic
cover,
and lots of cash.
Topping
it off, all of these ships are guarding Assad's ancestral homeland
and only route out of the country.
No
wonder Syria's ruler shows
no sign of backing down
.
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