MOSCOW — The Russian navy conducted major war games near Alaska involving dozens of ships and aircraft, the military said Friday, the biggest such drills in the area since Soviet times.
Russia’s navy chief, Adm. Nikolai Yevmenov, said that more than 50 warships and about 40 aircraft were taking part in the exercise in the Bering Sea, which involved multiple practice missile launches.
“We are holding such massive drills there for the first time ever,” Yevmenov said in a statement released by the Russian Defense Ministry.
It wasn’t immediately clear when the exercises began or if they had finished.
Yevmenov emphasized that the war games are part of Russia’s efforts to boost its presence in the Arctic region and protect its resources.
“We are building up our forces to ensure the economic development of the region,” he said. “We are getting used to the Arctic spaces.”
The Russian military has rebuilt and expanded numerous facilities across the polar region in recent years, revamping runways and deploying additional air defense assets.
Russia has prioritized boosting its military presence in the Arctic region, which is believed to hold up to one-quarter of the Earth’s undiscovered oil and gas. Russian President Vladimir Putin has cited estimates that put the value of Arctic mineral riches at $30 trillion.
Russia’s Pacific Fleet, whose assets were taking part in the maneuvers, said the Omsk nuclear submarine and the Varyag missile cruiser launched cruise missiles at a practice target in the Bering Sea as part of the exercise.
The maneuvers also saw Onyx cruise missiles being fired at a practice target in the Gulf of Anadyr from the coast of the Chukchi Peninsula, it added.
As the exercise was ongoing, U.S. military spotted a Russian submarine surfacing near Alaska on Thursday. U.S. Northern Command spokesman Bill Lewis noted that the Russian military exercise is taking place in international waters, well outside U.S. territory.
Lewis said the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command were closely monitoring the submarine. He added that they haven’t received any requests for assistance from the Russian navy but stand ready to assist those in distress.
Russian state RIA Novosti news agency quoted Russia’s Pacific Fleet sources as saying that the surfacing of the Omsk nuclear submarine was routine.
Also late Thursday, NORAD sent F-22 fighter jets to intercept three groups of two Tu-142 Russian maritime patrol aircraft that came close to Alaska.
The Russian aircraft remained in the area for about five hours and came within 50 nautical miles of Alaska. Officials said the Russian jets remained in international air space, and at no time entered United States or Canadian sovereign air space.
“Our northern approaches have had an increase in foreign military activity as our competitors continue to expand their military presence and probe our defenses,” Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, commander of NORAD, said in a statement. “This year, we’ve conducted more than a dozen intercepts, the most in recent years. The importance of our continued efforts to project air defense operations in and through the north has never been more apparent.”
It cited former Russian navy’s chief of staff, retired Adm. Viktor Kravchenko, as saying that by having the submarine surface in the area the navy may have wanted to send a deliberate signal.
“It’s a signal that we aren’t asleep and we are wherever we want,” RIA Novosti quoted Kravchenko as saying.
The presence of Russian military assets in the area caused a stir for U.S. commercial fishing vessels in the Bering Sea on Wednesday.
“We were notified by multiple fishing vessels that were operating out the Bering Sea that they had come across these vessels and were concerned,” U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Kip Wadlow said Thursday.
The Coast Guard contacted the Alaskan Command at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, which confirmed the ships were there as part of a pre-planned Russian military exercise that was known to some U.S. military officials, he said.
The Russian military has expanded the number and the scope of its war games in recent years as Russia-West relations have sunk to their lowest level since the Cold War after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, and other crises.
I'm not the president. However, at the very least he could have made a statement regarding the issue. He could have publicly admonished Russia.
What we do see here is that with Trump as president they feel more emboldened in doing such things as any time since the cold war. Since they've never done anything like this since the cold war. And all we hear are crickets.
So does saying or doing nothing seem like the proper response to you?
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Putin did make it clear who he wanted our president to be so at least you're man enough that you're willing to admit you want Russian help to re-elect Trump.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Why would anyone admonish Russia? The article clearly states the actions are taking place in international waters. Last I checked, that means open seas.........ya know?
IF the kids are in a park, ain't nothing he can do about it. International waters and airspace are a park - anyone is free to go there. Had trump even made a statement, the left would've blown a gasket stating exactly what I'm stating.
Countries like playing games of chicken all the time.
But it says something that Russia has been really threading the needle under trump. They absolutely behave as though they know there won’t be any consequences to their behavior.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Why would anyone admonish Russia? The article clearly states the actions are taking place in international waters. Last I checked, that means open seas.........ya know?
Just like the U.S. does.
Only you didn't bother to see where their fighter jets threatened one of our B-52 bombers. Or did you ignore that part? Let me show you the things you try to ignore when you don't care enough to seek the truth.
This Russian Russian fighter jet came so close to one of our B-52'a that it caused massive turbulence to the plane. But I guess this is no big deal to you either.
What this video does not show is the part where the Russian fighter jet flew so close across the nose of the B-52 they almost collided. But of course to those who make excuses for Trump's silence, that's no big deal.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
As I said, I'm not the president. I don't have those answers. Here are couple of things I can say. Nothing isn't the answer. Being silent and refusing to even send a message to Putin isn't the answer. Speaking out against it would certainly be a logical response. And if we did the same thing when they were "close to Alaska" I wonder if that was in our air space or at least so close to Alaska it was deemed a threat?
I'm not for starting a war with Russia over something like this. But sometimes silence can be deafening. It's no response I find troubling.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
And if we did the same thing when they were "close to Alaska" I wonder if that was in our air space or at least so close to Alaska it was deemed a threat?
From the article I posted:
Quote:
NORAD said both formations remained in international airspace at all times, and did not enter the United States’ airspace.
The russian bommbers DID get within 32 nautical miles, and the second wave with in 20 nautical miles, but apparently that is still considered international airspace.
Again, what would YOU have done, as president? I know you aren't the president, yet you have no issue/problem blaming. What would YOU do as president when another country does exactly as we do, in international waters or airspace?
React? I promise, if Trump had said something, you would be the first saying he was escalating the thing. He says nothing, and you want to blame him as well.
React? I promise, if Trump had said something, you would be the first saying he was escalating the thing. He says nothing, and you want to blame him as well.
This is just crap you make up. It's not unexpected yet it's nothing more than some supposition you try and use to discredit anyone who disagrees with Trump.
At the very least I would have made a public statement that Russia is trying to escalate tension between our countries. That they had conducted conducted major military maneuvers near Alaska the likes of which have not been seen since the cold war. That they have used moves that have threatened one of our bombers very close to Alaska which are very combative in nature. That we do not take these moves lightly and we will be watching closely to see how they proceed moving forward.
So far your answer is say nothing and do nothing. But then when our president tells Putin he takes his word over our own intelligence community, that's about all we can expect isn't it?
One of the biggest questions of this president has been his unwillingness to address Russia on basically anything. Here was the perfect opportunity to at least lessen that perception. And no, I have never spoke out against any president for standing strong against Russia. Whether that president has been Republican or Democrat. So your made up scenario only holds water with those who wish to believe it or it makes them feel better when making excuses for Trump.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Ive lived near Norfolk VA for most of my life. They'd cruise subs and ships up and down our coast all the time on their way to and from cuba. It would barely make the news. This is nothing new to those of us that remember the cold war. Our sub guys are probably happy they have their noisy subs to chase about the Atlantic again.
One problem. The cold war is over and this is unprecedented since anything since the cold war. These were war games they were conducting. Not just "cruising by" on their way somewhere.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Cool. But, the moves on our bomber were over the black sea. I'll have to check, but off the top of my head, the black sea isn't near alaska.
OH. Found it. https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=where+is+the+black+sea&fr=yfp-t&imgurl=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-UlcbuFjFjWg%2FTZijdusvPDI%2FAAAAAAAAAWU%2FaGIERIrxm98%2Fs1600%2FLaut-Hitam.png#id=0&iurl=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-UlcbuFjFjWg%2FTZijdusvPDI%2FAAAAAAAAAWU%2FaGIERIrxm98%2Fs1600%2FLaut-Hitam.png&action=click
Look there's a lot you can fault trump for, but this issue? As Biden would say "C'mon man. It's, the black sea is, look, if you, c'mon man, God Bless ya, but, look, if you know the deal, I mean. Well, I've spoken too long. I was going to say something I didn't want to say."
Well we all know that the Revolutionary army stormed the airports, so...
You keep using that weak ass BS.
All while supporting a man that needs two hands to drink a glass of water and takes three minutes while holding the handrail to walk down a ramp.
So the location of the B-52 is why you feel it's fine for Russia to do what they did? Perfect!
here is Trump's response for what he would do in his second term...
"But so I think, I think it would be, I think it would be very, very, I think we'd have a very, very solid, we would continue what we're doing, we'd solidify what we've done, and we have other things on our plate that we want to get done," Trump told The New York Times' Peter Baker.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Once again you try to blame democrats for the weakness of Trump. Yet they never did any of this when Obama and Biden were running things.
As per usual, excuses for trump's weakness.
National Security Silent Running Russian attack submarine sailed in Gulf of Mexico undetected for weeks, U.S. officials say
Bill Gertz - August 14, 2012
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.
The Navy is in charge of detecting submarines, especially those that sail near U.S. nuclear missile submarines, and uses undersea sensors and satellites to locate and track them.
The fact that the Akula was not detected in the Gulf is cause for concern, U.S. officials said.
The officials who are familiar with reports of the submarine patrol in the Gulf of Mexico said the vessel was a nuclear-powered Akula-class attack submarine, one of Russia’s quietest submarines.
A Navy spokeswoman declined to comment.
One official said the Akula operated without being detected for a month.
"The Akula was built for one reason and one reason only: To kill U.S. Navy ballistic missile submarines and their crews," said a second U.S. official.
"It’s a very stealthy boat so it can sneak around and avoid detection and hope to get past any protective screen a boomer might have in place," the official said, referring to the Navy nickname for strategic missile submarines.
The U.S. Navy operates a strategic nuclear submarine base at Kings Bay, Georgia. The base is homeport to eight missile-firing submarines, six of them equipped with nuclear-tipped missiles, and two armed with conventional warhead missiles.
"Sending a nuclear-propelled submarine into the Gulf of Mexico-Caribbean region is another manifestation of President Putin demonstrating that Russia is still a player on the world's political-military stage," said naval analyst and submarine warfare specialist Norman Polmar.
"Like the recent deployment of a task force led by a nuclear cruiser into the Caribbean, the Russian Navy provides him with a means of ‘showing the flag’ that is not possible with Russian air and ground forces," Polmar said in an email.
The last time an Akula submarine was known to be close to U.S. shores was 2009, when two Akulas were spotted patrolling off the east coast of the United States.
Those submarine patrols raised concerns at the time about a new Russian military assertiveness toward the United States, according to the New York Times, which first reported the 2009 Akula submarine activity.
The latest submarine incursion in the Gulf further highlights the failure of the Obama administration’s "reset" policy of conciliatory actions designed to develop closer ties with Moscow.
Instead of closer ties, Russia under President Vladimir Putin, an ex-KGB intelligence officer who has said he wants to restore elements of Russia’s Soviet communist past, has adopted growing hardline policies against the United States.
Of the submarine activity, Sen. John Cornyn (R., Texas), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said, "It's a confounding situation arising from a lack of leadership in our dealings with Moscow. While the president is touting our supposed ‘reset' in relations with Russia, Vladimir Putin is actively working against American interests, whether it's in Syria or here in our own backyard."
The Navy is facing sharp cuts in forces needed to detect and counter such submarine activity.
The Obama administration’s defense budget proposal in February cut $1.3 billion from Navy shipbuilding projects, which will result in scrapping plans to build 16 new warships through 2017.
The budget also called for cutting plans to buy 10 advanced P-8 anti-submarine warfare jets needed for submarine detection.
In June, Russian strategic nuclear bombers and support aircraft conducted a large-scale nuclear bomber exercise in the arctic. The exercise included simulated strikes on "enemy" strategic sites that defense officials say likely included notional attacks on U.S. missile defenses in Alaska.
Under the terms of the 2010 New START arms accord, such exercises require 14-day advanced notice of strategic bomber drills, and notification after the drills end. No such notification was given.
A second, alarming air incursion took place July 4 on the West Coast when a Bear H strategic bomber flew into U.S. airspace near California and was met by U.S. interceptor jets.
That incursion was said to have been a bomber incursion that has not been seen since before the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
It could not be learned whether the submarine in the Gulf of Mexico was an Akula 1 type submarine or a more advanced Akula 2.
It is also not known why the submarine conducted the operation. Theories among U.S. analysts include the notion that submarine incursion was designed to further signal Russian displeasure at U.S. and NATO plans to deploy missile defenses in Europe.
Russia’s chief of the general staff, Gen. Nikolai Makarov, said in May that Russian forces would consider preemptive attacks on U.S. and allied missile defenses in Europe, and claimed the defenses are destabilizing in a crisis.
Makarov met with Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in July. Dempsey questioned him about the Russian strategic bomber flights near U.S. territory.
The voyage of the submarine also could be part of Russian efforts to export the Akula.
Russia delivered one of its Akula-2 submarines to India in 2009. The submarine is distinctive for its large tail fin.
Brazil’s O Estado de Sao Paoli reported Aug. 2 that Russia plans to sell Venezuela up to 11 new submarines, including one Akula.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow’s military is working to set up naval replenishment facilities in Vietnam and Cuba, but denied there were plans to base naval forces in those states.
Asked if Russia planned a naval base in Cuba, Lavrov said July 28: "We are not speaking of any bases. The Russian navy ships serve exercise cruises and training in the same regions. To harbor, resupply, and enable the crew to rest are absolutely natural needs. We have spoken of such opportunities with our Cuban friends." The comment was posted in the Russian Foreign Ministry website.
Russian warships and support vessels were sent to Venezuela in 2008 to take part in naval exercises in a show of Russian support for the leftist regime of Hugo Chavez. The ships also stopped in Cuba.
Russian Deputy Premier Dmitri Rogozin announced in February that Russia was working on a plan to build 10 new attack submarines and 10 new missile submarines through 2030, along with new aircraft carriers.
Submarine warfare specialists say the Akula remains the core of the Russian attack submarine force.
The submarines can fire both cruise missiles and torpedoes, and are equipped with the SSN-21 and SSN-27 submarine-launched cruise missiles, as well as SSN-15 anti-submarine-warfare missiles. The submarines also can lay mines.
That they have used moves that have threatened one of our bombers very close to Alaska which are very combative in nature.
Never happened bud.
Your failed attempt at making the U.S. look weak because of trump is troubling. The bomber you speak of was off the coast of Russia.
Our F-22's did the exact same thing off the coast of Alaska to their bombers, in international air space mind you. (minus the recklessness - which in the situation over the black sea, NATO even condemned).
come on man. as i posted before, countries like playing chicken with each other, but even you need to admit that Trump allows russia to get away with a lot.
for god's sake, his response to reports of Russia paying bounties on US soldiers was to fight for them to get back into the G7.
thats not the actions of a guy who would punish russia IF they did do something reckless.
so to be clear: Trump should do absolutely nothing about dick measuring contest over international waters. but its the overall fact that he's overly friendly with russia and constantly trying to gain favor of Putin that is the larger concern.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
dude yelled at him in front of everybody over that. good lord, you'd think he'd missed a phone call with God or something.
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Well, since when is it a big deal for a foreign nation to put a bounty on the heads of our soldiers? Oh that's right, Trump has ignored the intelligence about that too.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
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