Posted on 08/17/2012 4:51:36 AM PDT by moonshot925
Pentagon denied on Thursday media reports that a Russian nuclear powered submarine cruised unnoticed for several weeks in the Gulf of Mexico near the shores of the United States.
“I don't know what that information was based on, but it was not correct,” Wendy Snyder, a spokeswoman for the Pentagon, said.
The Washington Free Beacon reported earlier that Russia’s Akula class nuclear powered submarine (Project 971) freely traveled in June and July in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico undetected by the U.S. Navy.
(Excerpt) Read more at en.ria.ru ...
You may call me washed up ...maybe, but I definitely exist. LOL.
But seriously, 'Spetsnaz' simply means soldiers of or for special purpose and thus covers a whole range of abilities. For instance, SWAT working for the Russian internal police are Spetsnaz ...as are military special operations forces. Thus, to use American forces as a comparative base, 'Spetsnaz' covers everything from local PD SWAT, through to better-than-average National Guard troops, all the way to Army Rangers, to a (very small) group of real Tier One DEVGRU and CAG operatives. Thus, most Spetsnaz are not special at all and wouldn't be a match for the most average of US Army or Marines squads.
However, there is a very small group that is real Tier One (primarily the Alpha and Vympel units) that are the real deal. They have top funding, can chose whatever equipment they want, and have topnotch training ...not to mention experience fighting certain radicals in Dagestan and Chechnya.
These Spetsnaz are really good and the men are highly motivated, however these Spetsnaz are by far the minority. It is these men who gave the Mujahadeen dreams of Allah in Afghanistan, and would be sent at night during the Second Chechen war. If there were to be any Spetsnaz operating in the US it would be from either Alpha or Vympel (or a similar unknown Spetsnaz group).
On average most Spetsnaz would be, to use an American base again, best seen as an inferior version of Army Rangers. There are some who are even below this ...as mentioned above basically at SWAT level. Only the Alpha and Vympel Spetsnaz units are the 'crazy' ones, and are roughly comparable to any leading Special Forces unit in the world.
The latest USN 30-year shipbuilding plan issued this year actually added several Virginia-class boats.
“I’ve also read (conspiracy InfoWars site) that Spetsnaz SF troops are already on US soil,coming over from Canada.”
I think what can be verified (I saw it on an official looking military news sight) is that 20 Russians (maybe spetsnaz) were training in Colorado to learn about our small arms.
That story grew exponentially.
There was an incident.
On 12 February 1988 USS Yorktown (CG 48) and USS Caron (DD 970) entered the 12 mile limit of Soviet territorial waters off the Crimean Peninsula and they were rammed by Mirka class frigates.
““I don’t know what that information was based on, “
Translation: “I don’t know how that info got out.”
How do we know that it was? Was it spotted by anyone? Show up in a Venezuelan or Cuban port? Saying it was is a great selling point that can't be proven or disproven.
Just doin’ a little shrimpin’. Nothin’ like shrimp marinated in vodka.
Moonshot925 — You do realize that you are citing information from a speech given back in 1997, correct?
And, you realize you are using information that is fully 15 years old on its face, and that the man was speaking about the submarine that had already been in the sea for 7 years BEFORE he even gave that speech, right?
You should probably also consider the fact that what we know as members of the general public, and indeed even what our military leaders will talk about in public is very likely not the whole story, right?
This is the first time since we put NAUTILUS to sea that [the Russians] have had submarines at sea quieter than ours. As you know, quieting is everything in submarine warfare.”
This statement by Polmar and the quote from Adm. Boorda are almost 20 years old. How are they relevant to a comparative assessment of US and Russian submarines today?
SOURCE
I worry far less about a Russian nuclear powered submarine being off our shores, than I do about the Kenyan presently contaminating our White House.
If the Russian’s were actually there, they were likely testing, training and/or sending us a message, unlike Obama and the democrats that are destroying our country.
Regardless, I would trust the word of Pravda far more than Obama’s Pentagon.
The objective is the same as it has always has been.
Disrupting, dismantling and defeating Al-Qaeda. Deny sponsorship, support and sanctuary to Al-Qaeda.
We have killed so many top Al-Qaeda leaders. There is only one left and that is al-Zawahiri.
How are they not relevant? I was comparing the improved Akula class to the improved LA class. They are about the same with the Akula quieter at 5-7 knots.
I am not talking about the Seawolf or Virginia . They are both much quieter than the LA and Akula.
What in the world does Al-Qaeda have to do with this discussion of a Russian Submarine possibly having been patrolling in the Gulf of Mexico, and your citation of a source that is over 15 years old in regards to the US Navy’s Submarine Capabilities???
Did you post to the wrong thread?
Also, out of curiosity - do you not know that Al-Qaeda really is one ‘small’ part of the terrorist organization of the Muslim Brotherhood? The MB is the umbrella under which they all operate whether AQ, Hamas, Hezbollah, and many many others... Just FYI.
Yeah, sorry about that.
Anyway, the Seawolf and Virginia classes are much quieter than the Akula and improved Akula. But the improved Akula did pose somewhat a threat in the early 1990’s when it was at parity or slightly quieter than the improved LA class.
You know your stuff - so what's your best guess - were they in the Gulf or not?
After the fall of the Berlin Wall (thank you, President Reagan and allies), the Russians weren't much of a threat. This is just my take on things, but Russian priorities changed. Being a global naval power requires established logistics, well-trained sailors, and money to maintain and project that naval power. A lot of that broke down, as did much of their capability to continue their R&D and funding of new programs.
If anything, a rogue Akula (or one sold to a terrorist organization), could serve as a delivery system for an explosive device. Perhaps at very slow speeds, one could navigate such a sub into harbor somewhere--assuming you had potent enough explosives, and enough training to operate and navigate from wherever you originated. You'd still have to evade SOSUS lines, and other allied subs. If you were detected, the gig would be up.
“In statecraft, never believe anything until its been officially denied.”
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That is why, when we ‘invaded’ Iraq, we didnt find Weapons of Mass Destruction because they were there - or at least had been.
If we didn’t think or knew there were none, we would have ‘planted’ them so as to find them.
I went to St. Pete Beach several times and never saw anything but some ugly tattoos.
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