;^)
Posted on 03/01/2023 6:58:13 AM PST by Timber Rattler
Senior U.S. Navy leaders in the Atlantic and European regions discussed, in some detail, the nature of the Russian build-up and naval activity in the Arctic region during a recent seminar in Washington.
Speaking Feb. 9 at a seminar sponsored by the Wilson Center’s Polar Institute and the Center for Maritime Strategy (CMS), a think tank of the Navy League of the United States — Deterring Russia at Sea in the High North — were Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command and Vice Adm. Dan Dwyer, commander, U.S. Second Fleet. The seminar was moderated by retired Adm. James Foggo, dean of CMS.
“Russia now has six bases, 14 airfields, 16 deep-water ports, and 14 icebreakers built,” Caudle said of the Russian build-up.
“They dominate the Arctic geography and possess the corresponding ability to dominate in capability and infrastructure,” he said. “They do have legitimate sovereign interests and have elevated their Northern Fleet to constitute its own military district — think, combatant command.”
For decades, Russia and its prior Soviet Union entity have been especially protective of the northern approaches of the Barents Sea and Artic Ocean out of a desire to maintain a protective bastion for its nuclear-tipped missile force deployed on its ballistic-missile submarines.
Caudle said Russia has the largest icebreaker fleet in the world and has even armed icebreakers with the Kalibr cruise missile.
“They have an active defense system that has high readiness, mobility, and firepower in the Northern Fleet,” he said. “They centralize the command-and-control authority of the S-400 [surface-to-air] missile system. They have strong anti-access and access-denial capability that reaches from the Arctic to the Baltic to the GIUK [Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom] Gap. They have long-range, precision-guided strike weapons especially focused in and near the Kola Peninsula.”
(Excerpt) Read more at seapowermagazine.org ...
We have TWO icebreakers. TWO.
The administration claims the Russians are weak, running out of weapons, and are being defeated in Ukraine.
Our admirals are saying Russia is a formidable and serious military threat.
Talk about mixed messaging.
Enemies of America are taking advantage of Biden’s weakness.
The Russians have been focused on the Artic region for a long time, and the steady build up is no surprise. Its a key strategic area for them.
;^)
Absolutely right. Russia and China recognize a window of opportunity when they see it. That is why China will be making its move against Taiwan soon. The door is open.
We don’t have Arctic sea lanes serving ports and cities on almost half of our border
Makes sense. All of Northern Russia is rides and significantly extends into the Arctic Circle
We have TWO icebreakers. TWO.
—
Actually, only one heavy ice breaker - as the other is no longer functional. And the functioning one is literally held together with bailing wire and duct tape. Neither are nuclear powered.
Russia’s 14 heavy ice breakers are nuclear powered and can plow through thicker ice at speed than any US breaker functioning or being built. These are the largest ice breakers in the world, with crew saunas. Somewhere there is a video of some Russian out on the ice with pickups as a Russian ice breaker passes at speed through 6-7 foot ice.
There are several US breakers building, but they are conventionally powered and have to have hulls designed to transit from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Treasury was dithering over arming them. They cannot crunch the ice that the Russian’s can.
Ice breakers are part of the Coast Guard, under the Department of the Treasury. Not military.
US Coast Guard is under the Department of Homeland Security.
Right sorry used to be Treasury back in my day. Same difference and disregard for the Arctic and Antarctic.
Mar 1, 2023
Update on Russian military operations in Ukraine for March 1, 2023:
- Russian forces continue the encirclement of Bakhmut in the Donbass region;
- Even the Western media is reporting how bleak the situation is for Ukraine in the Donbass region;
- A recent interview with senior US State Department and Department of Defense officials reveals dangerous delusion at the highest levels of US policy making;
- US officials are repeating common myths even the Western media itself has dispelled in recent months including the supposed "success" of Western sanctions and the sustainability of Western military aid to Ukraine;
- Ultimately, US officials admit more or less that Ukraine cannot win, and that US support is about giving Ukraine the best bargaining position when negotiations begin;
They don’t really have any warm weather ports other than the one at Crimea and Kalingrad.
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