No, this isn’t “Navy week” here at TAH.\u00a0 Well, not unless Jonn forgot to send me a copy of the memo.\u00a0 (smile)\u00a0 But this is indeed another nautically-themed article.<\/p>\n
Today our Navy rules the sea.\u00a0 But lest we forget:\u00a0 we’re not the only country with competent and capable naval forces.\u00a0 Our Navy is damned good – but it’s not omnipotent, nor is it omniscient.\u00a0 Any Navy has its limitations.\u00a0 And sometimes the other guy is, well, just plain good.<\/p>\n
Recently, the Russian Navy apparently decided to remind us they exist.\u00a0 They sent naval forces into the Gulf.<\/p>\n
As in, “the Gulf of Mexico”.<\/p>\n
No, I didn’t hear about it at the time.\u00a0 That was by design on the part of the Russians.\u00a0 The force they sent to the Gulf reportedly consisted of an Akula-class submarine<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Akula apparently was not detected while on patrol in the Gulf of Mexico.\u00a0 It’s reputed to have operated there, without detection, for about a month.<\/p>\n An Akula can\u00a0reportedly carry cruise missiles – the SS-N-21 and the SS-N-27 – with the former having a range of just under 1,900 miles.\u00a0 Though currently barred from a nuclear role by START-2, that missile is also capable of delivering a 200kT nuclear warhead<\/a>.<\/p>\n All of CONUS except for the extreme Pacific Northwest is less than 1,900 miles away from Galveston, TX.<\/p>\n I have to say I find this a bit disconcerting.\u00a0 Because history has repeatedly demonstrated – and sometimes taught us the hard way, like in 1941, 1950, 1968, and 2001 – the high cost of being complacent and ignoring potential threats.<\/p>\n And I can’t see how defense cuts proposed for the next few years will improve the situation, either.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"