Two things:
1. The grammar of my sentence makes it seems like I am not aware that the sub is an attack sub due to the placement of “but it isn’t”. What I meant was that it was not incendiary because we are not in a state of conflict with Russia.
2. What would you suggest that the US do when those subs approach the US coast? Should we sink down some depth charges and start a war? Also, isn’t 200 miles the extended economic zone. Anything beyond it - and the article does not indicate that it was closer than this - would still be completely international waters.
Your general point is correct, but It's perfectly legal for a warship of any country to be within 200 nautical miles of any other countries' coast. Territorial waters are only 12 nm from the coast.
The entire Russian Navy could be 15 nm from the US coast and it would be perfectly legal, and we certainly wouldn't be sinking anyone.
Soviet vessels (and aircraft) were routinely within 200 nm of the US during the Reagan administration, and we didn't sink a single one of them. And throughout most of the cold war there were Soviet SSBNs with short range missiles on continuous patrol near Bermuda and Hawaii. Indeed, people need to calm down a bit.
Heh...keep on beliving that.
What would you suggest that the US do when those subs approach the US coast?
Back in the good ol' days of the Cold War, U.S. Navy ASW crews would be pinging the heck out of it and herding it back out to the deep blue ocean, with a Los Angeles-class 688 attack sub in close, quiet pursuit.