Silent Running: Russian attack submarine sailed in Gulf of Mexico undetected for weeks...

The Washington Free Beacon ^ | 08/14/2012 | Bill Gertz

[bt_dooftlook]

A Russian nuclear-powered attack submarine armed with long-range cruise missiles operated undetected in the Gulf of Mexico for several weeks and its travel in strategic U.S. waters was only confirmed after it left the region, the Washington Free Beacon has learned.

It is only the second time since 2009 that a Russian attack submarine has patrolled so close to U.S. shores.

The stealth underwater incursion in the Gulf took place at the same time Russian strategic bombers made incursions into restricted U.S. airspace near Alaska and California in June and July, and highlights a growing military assertiveness by Moscow.

The submarine patrol also exposed what U.S. officials said were deficiencies in U.S. anti-submarine warfare capabilities—forces that are facing cuts under the Obama administration’s plan to reduce defense spending by $487 billion over the next 10 years.

[MrPiper]

If we did not know it was there, how do we know it was there?

[ETL]

“Russia has agreed to lend Venezuela over $2bn (£1.2bn) to buy weapons, President Hugo Chavez has said.”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8253822.stm
____________________________________________

“...the stage was set for one of the biggest lines of credit for oil-rich Venezuela to buy Russian military hardware. Up to $800 million of credit is available for Venezuelan arms buying in Moscow.”

http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2010/08/10/Venezuela-acquiring-Russian-submarines/UPI-75881281471976/

[ETL]

Russian nuclear bombers in Cuba?
July 23, 2008

The media has been abuzz today at the prospect of Russian nuclear bombers being stationed in Cuba if the US goes ahead with plans for missile defense bases in Eastern Europe.

The story has riled the US enough that a US general has been wheeled out to tell the world’s press that any Russian attempt to build another nuclear base in Cuba would cross US “red line”.

The story broke earlier this week, when Russian newspaper Izvestia quoted an un-named source from within the Russian military. He told the Russian daily:

“While they are deploying the missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic, our strategic bombers will already be landing in Cuba.”

The quote hasn’t been independently confirmed, but the Russian Defense Ministry added fuel to the fire when they refused to comment on the story.

The prospect of Russian nuclear forces being stationed in Cuba - which is, after all, only 90 miles from the US coast - would bring back some rather unpleasant memories for the US of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, where the Soviet Union under Nikita Kruschev launched an audacious and foolhardy bid to station nuclear missiles on the Caribbean island.

http://www.siberianlight.net/2008/07/23/russian-nuclear-bombers-cuba/
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Russia to help Cuba modernize weaponry, train military

September 18, 2009

HAVANA, September 18 (RIA Novosti) - Modernization of the Soviet-made military equipment and training of Cuban military personnel will be the focus of Russian-Cuban military cooperation in the near future, the chief of the Russian General Staff said on Friday. Gen. Nikolai Makarov arrived on a working visit to Cuba on Monday, met with Cuban President Raul Castro and the country's military leadership, and visited a number of military installations.

"During the Soviet era we delivered a large number of military equipment to Cuba, and after all these years most of this weaponry has become obsolete and needs repairs," Makarov said.

"We inspected the condition of this equipment, and outlined the measures to be taken to maintain the defense capability of this country...I think a lot of work needs to be done in this respect, and I hope we will be able to accomplish this task," the general said.

Makarov said the Cuban request for assistance with training of military personnel will also be fully satisfied.

Although the Cuban leadership has repeatedly said it has no intention of resuming military cooperation with Russia after the surprise closure of the Russian electronic listening post in Lourdes in 2001, bilateral military ties seem to have been improving following the visit of Russian Security Council chief Nikolai Patrushev and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin to Cuba in July last year.

A group of Russian warships, led by the Admiral Chabanenko destroyer visited Cuba in December last year during a Caribbean tour.

http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20090918/156170428.html

[stuartcr]

Funny how that works...

[JohnnyP]

Maybe this?

http://aw1tim.wordpress.com/2010/01/12/the-new-sosus-optical-asw/

[SolidRedState]

I would trust PUTIN with the keys to our football more than I do bambi. Sad, but true.

Putin has balls of steel. Bambi does too, but they are all rolling around in his head.

[ETL]

You’ve proved my point enough, I think.

You appear to be right on that one point regarding the Russia to Venezuela sub deal. But you also seemed to be trying to minimize the overall threat posed by Russia arming Venezuela.

To your point about the subs...

"...for what it's worth, Canadian defence reporter Dave Pugliese passes along a report that the planned sale of Russian nuclear submarines to Venezuela was scuppered after Hugo Chavez's bodyguards mixed it up with some Russian sailors:

...the KILOs (the subs) destined for Vietnam were originally to be purchased by Venezuela but that deal collapsed after a fistfight on board the Russian cruiser “Peter the Great” when it and other warships were visiting Venezuela.

Venezuela’s leader Chavez was in the process of visiting the Russian flotilla but his bodyguards were prevented from boarding. A fistfight then broke out between the Russian sailors and the bodyguards. The nose of one Russian was broken.

That ended the sub purchase.

Robert Farley notes that the deal is indeed off, and it's certainly not out of the question that the fight took place. But it's likely that the bigger reason Chavez balked at the deal is that his government is low on oil money these days.

http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/05/20/did_a_high_seas_fistfight_nix_a_russia_venezuela_submarine_deal

[justa-hairyape]

If we did not know it was there, how do we know it was there?

My guess is they surfaced on the way out and flipped Obama the bird. Just like that Chinese sub that surfaced in the middle of an Aircraft Carrier Task Force.

[ETL]

I would trust PUTIN with the keys to our football more than I do bambi. Putin has balls of steel.

Yeah, KGB Putin would be more ruthless and direct in bringing about our destruction. He wouldn't waste time trying to pretend he's something that he's not.

"KGB" thinks the "COLLAPSE" of the mass-murdering communist Soviet Union was the "greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th Century"

"the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the [20th] century" -Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the collapse of the Soviet Union...
"World democratic opinion has yet to realize the alarming implications of President Vladimir Putin's State of the Union speech on April 25, 2005, in which he said that the collapse of the Soviet Union represented the 'greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.'
http://www.hooverdigest.org/053/beichman.html
____________________________________________________

"'The Black Book of Communism,'; a scholarly accounting of communism’s crimes, counts about 94 million murdered by the supposed champions of the common man (20 million for the Soviets alone), and some say that number is too low."

Forgetting the Evils of Communism: The amnesia bites a little deeper
By Jonah Goldberg, August 2008:
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZmY0MjI1MDgyYjg1M2UwNDMzMTk2Mjk5YTk0ZTdlMWE=
____________________________________________________

[ETL]

My guess is they surfaced on the way out and flipped Obama the bird.

What the heck are you talking about? Obama and KGB Putin are on the same "new world order" page. Obama is bending over backwards to help them regain their former superpower status.

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

“Obama: “This is my last election. After my election, I have more flexibility.””

This should be proclaimed loud and clear in an oft repeated attack ad over the next 2 months. This evil piece of Kommie $hit needs to be taken down in a landslide defeat.

[jesseam]

What concerns me is that since we don’t have a functioning president now will the Russians do something stupid before the elections???

[DoughtyOne]

Whether my or your scenario is what will take place some day, I don’t believe nation’s fall in the manner they think they will. They defend against that eventuality, and the enemy comes up with a simple plan that catches them off guard.

The way we’re back-peddling right now, it’s very disconcerting.

We are opening ourselves up to a world of hurt.

I appreciate the response.

[hattend]

BTTT

[justa-hairyape]

Are you aware of what has been going on in Syria the past two weeks ?

Obama is a lame duck. No longer useful to the Russians. He is a useless idiot now. Just like the Watermelons pushing Global Warming. The Russkies started it, used the movement to curtail Western oil production, and then pulled the carpet from underneath the idiots legs with the climate gate email hack. That is the way the Russians roll.

[jboot]

The Russkies have precious few boomers, BUT they have an capable arsenal of cruise missiles. Granit and Bazalt are both nuclear-capable and can be launched from a variety of submarine platforms. (Notably NOT the Akula...they shouldn't have to many Akula's left, either. The liquid metal cooling system gobbles rubles by the trainload just sitting in port. It has to be kept white hot even when the reactor is cool. Otherwise it turns into a a very exotic metal brick.)

[politicianslie]

The tinfoilers may just have been correct, after all.

Many Americans aren't just fools, they are plain stupid.

[Fast Moving Angel]

Gulf of Mexico? BP oil platform explosion, anyone?

/tinfoil hat off ... sorta

[buffaloguy]

“Silent Running: Russian attack submarine sailed in Gulf of Mexico undetected for weeks...”

I find this hard to believe.