Russia
Russian Subs Patrolling Off U.S. East Coast
AFPAugust 5, 2009
Two Russian nuclear-powered submarines have been patrolling off the US East Coast in recent days, the first such move in several years and one that has US officials concerned, the New York Times said Wednesday.
Citing defense and intelligence officials speaking on condition of anonymity, a report on the paper's website said one submarine remained in international waters some 200 miles (320 kilometers) off the US coast, while the location of the other remained unclear.
The pair were Akula class vessels, the paper said.
The episode does not appear to pose any immediate threat to the United States, but it echoes the cat-and-mouse manouvers of the Soviet and US militaries during the Cold War, when Moscow and Washington routinely sent submarines towards one another's coasts to gather intelligence and track fleet movements.
"Any time the Russian Navy does something so out of the ordinary it is cause for worry," a senior US Defense Department official who has monitored reports about the submarines' activities was quoted as saying.
"We've known where they were, and we're not concerned about our ability to track the subs," said the official. "We're concerned just because they are there."
Naval historian and submarine warfare expert Norman Polmar told the Times: "I don't think they've put two first-line nuclear subs off the US coast in about 15 years."
While Pentagon officials declined to speculate about what weapons may be aboard the vessels, the submarines are considered not among the larger class of Russian submarines that can launch nuclear missiles, the Times reported.
The revelations of the Russian movements come as Moscow seeks to move on from the embarrassment of another failed test of its intercontinental Bulava missile.
The missile, which can carry nuclear warheads, veered off course and blew up mid-flight after it was launched from Russia's Dmitri Donskoi submarine in the White Sea on July 16.
Several such tests have already ended in failure, including one in December 2008 launched by the same submarine in the White Sea, off the northwest coast of Russia. On that occasion the missile also exploded in mid-air.
Once a mighty global naval power, Russian ship forays into open seas have become less common, although a flotilla of Russian warships conducted joint naval operations with Venezuela last December in the Caribbean Sea, close to US waters.
Defense Officials: Russian Subs Patrolling off East Coast of United States
APAugust 04, 2009
Two nuclear-powered Russian attack submarines have been patrolling in international waters off the East Coast for several days, in activity reminiscent of the Cold War, defense officials said Tuesday.
U.S. Northern Command would not comment on the Russian submarines' movement. But in a prepared statement, Northern Command spokesman Michael Kucharek acknowledged the patrols and said the U.S. has been monitoring the two submarines.
Two senior U.S. officials, however, said the submarines had been patrolling several hundred miles off the coast and so far had done nothing to provoke U.S. military concerns. The officials provided details on condition of anonymity in order to discuss intelligence reports.
While the incident raises eyebrows, it did not trigger the more intense reaction by the U.S. military that Russia prompted when two of its bombers buzzed an American aircraft carrier in the western Pacific in February 2008. U.S. fighter planes intercepted the two Russian fighters, including one that flew directly over the USS Nimitz twice at an altitude of about 2,000 feet.
The event did not escalate beyond that, but it signaled a more aggressive military agenda by Moscow.
The latest incident, which was first reported by The New York Times, comes amid increased Russian military activity in the region, and as the administration of President Obama works to thaw tense relations with Moscow over plans for a missile defense system in Central Europe.
Just last week a senior Pentagon official said the administration is looking at options for the plan, which would install 10 interceptors in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic. Assistant Secretary of Defense Alexander Vershbow told Congress members that the Obama administration is looking at various configurations as part of its review of missile defense plans.
Russia, meanwhile, conducted naval exercises with Venezuela last year in the Caribbean and sent one of its warships through the Panama Canal for the first time since World War II. The exercises with Venezuela were the first deployment of Russian ships to the Western Hemisphere since the Cold War.
Officials said they became aware of the most recent submarine activity off the East Coast early on through intelligence sources and were not notified by Moscow in advance of the patrols. They said the submarines have not crossed into U.S. waters, which extend 12 miles out into the ocean.
The statement issued by Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command said, "We have been monitoring them during transit and recognize the right of all nations to exercise freedom of navigation in international waters according to international law."
