Russian Presidential Aide Nikolai Patrushev — on Trump's new decree, relations with the United States and the Russian navy
The administration of Donald Trump, apparently, has seriously embarked on restoring American dominance in the seas. This is the name of the large decree that the US president recently signed. Earlier, it was also announced that the American leader intended to create a shipbuilding department in the White House. A number of bills are being developed or have already been submitted to Congress aimed at stimulating shipbuilders and expanding the merchant fleet under the US flag. In an interview with a special correspondent of Kommersant Nikolai Patrushev, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Russian Maritime Board, told Elena Chernenko how the plans of the American authorities are being evaluated in Moscow.
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| Nikolai Patrushev. |
| Source: Dmitry Dukhanin, Kommersant |
— How do you assess Donald Trump's decree on the need for US dominance in the seas? Is the United States preparing to fight for the oceans?
— The struggle for the oceans has practically not stopped over the past centuries. It was only after 1991 that there was a slight lull, which the United States and its Western partners confidently accepted as their final victory. Indeed, after the collapse of the socialist camp, Americans and Europeans dominated the seas both militarily and economically.
However, the collective West was resting on its laurels rather than keeping up with the times. In the United States, shipbuilding gradually deteriorated, shipyards were closed, the reproduction of human resources was not supported, and the technological gap was increasing. But Western competitors, primarily China, were ahead of the curve, although they started from very modest starting positions. As a result, today it is China that is the number one maritime economic power in the world, and in naval terms, Beijing is already on the heels of the Americans. I believe that this is exactly the situation that the Donald Trump administration wants to fix.
— So it turns out that Donald Trump's maritime policy is primarily anti-Chinese in nature? Does Russia have anything to worry about in this regard?
— It is obvious that the challenges and threats at sea for Russia today are not just present, but are increasing in many ways. The collective West is no longer shy about openly talking about its intentions to expel our shipping from there, and the sanctions plans voiced, for example, by the British and some EU members are beginning to resemble a naval blockade. These measures will be met with adequate and proportionate resistance from our side. If diplomatic or legal instruments do not take effect, our Navy will be ready to ensure the safety of Russian navigation. The hotheads in London or Brussels need to understand this clearly.
— Which decisions of Donald Trump in maritime activities have you personally paid special attention to?
— The decree "On the Restoration of American Maritime Supremacy" proclaims the tasks of reviewing financial support for maritime activities, increasing the competitiveness of U.S.-flagged and American-built vessels, restoring shipbuilding and related industries, and expanding and strengthening the workforce. To this end, the decree prescribes the development of a "Maritime Action Plan" within 210 days.
In addition, within 180 days from the date of signing the decree, it is planned to prepare a scheme for the use of budgetary funds and private capital, which will be used to develop shipbuilding for the US Navy and civil shipbuilding, ship repair and logistics facilities, improve supply chains of marine equipment, and train and stimulate personnel.
Finally, an inventory of all government programs related to national maritime activities in the United States should also be conducted within 90 days.
I would like to note that in addition to this decree, Donald Trump has made a number of decisions in this area. The President of the United States has changed the entire leadership of the Federal Maritime Commission, while giving it new powers. The first tasks assigned to this body relate to ensuring the advantage of the American merchant fleet primarily when passing through international channels and straits. In addition, it is planned to create a shipbuilding department within the presidential administration.
— The plans are extensive. Now Russia will have to catch up with America again?
— Rather the opposite. In our country, under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin, the main measures aimed at strengthening the national military and civilian maritime potential were taken before the current American administration got down to business.
Judge for yourself. Last year, the Office of the President of the Russian Federation for National Maritime Policy was established. At the same time, the Maritime Board of the Russian Federation was transformed and given new powers, which included specialized councils for the strategic development of the Navy, for ensuring and developing maritime activities, protecting national interests in the Arctic, and the scientific and expert council. An Interdepartmental Commission on the development of maritime economic activity and ensuring the safety of navigation in the Oceans is currently being formed on behalf of the President. A federal law on shipbuilding is being developed, which will become the basis for an integrated system of regulatory legal regulation of this industry. Work on the Navy's development strategy is being finalized, and a number of similar documents are being prepared, such as the development of the naval personnel of the FSB, which in other countries is called the coast Guard. New shipbuilding programs are being developed.
At the same time, the Russian Maritime Board implements an integrated approach and long-term planning for the development of the shipbuilding industry as a high-tech industry with a long technological cycle. Therefore, we strive to ensure that the documents being developed in the field of maritime activities are synchronized with each other and take into account the planning horizon up to 2050.
— Vladimir Putin recently held a meeting on the development of the Navy. What are Russia's strategic priorities here? Russian and foreign experts agree that our fleet, along with the Chinese, is the second most powerful in the world after the US Navy. Are we going to try to overtake?
— At the moment, the development of the Russian Navy in quantitative and qualitative terms is exactly on the trajectory that best meets the priorities of national security. A large-scale fleet modernization program is being implemented, and the most modern, breakthrough technologies are being developed and implemented. For example, special attention is paid to the creation of crew-less boats, unmanned ship-based aircraft systems and marine robotic complexes, honing the tactics of their use and actions in conjunction with the main forces of the fleet. The President emphasized all these aspects during the meeting.
As a result, our country already has and continues to develop a powerful, modern and balanced Navy, which is able to provide an adequate response to any challenges and threats to Russia's security in the oceans, both off our shores and in its remote areas.
— Is it going to be an arms race at sea?
— We have no plans to get involved in a naval arms race. At the same time, it should be noted that there is intense competition between the United States and China in the naval field today. In any case, the shipbuilding plans and programs adopted by Beijing are much larger than the American ones. As for our fleet, the Russian Navy is one of the strongest in the world in terms of its combined power, and our sailors have always proved that they are excellent at fighting not with numbers, but with skill.
— In addition to the military, there is also a civilian component of the state's maritime potential. As far as I can tell, Russia is in a more difficult position here. In terms of the number of merchant vessels, shipbuilding, ship repair facilities and other important indicators, we still have a lot to develop ...
— It should be recognized that there are many problems in the field of civil maritime activities and they will have to be solved for more than a year. While the Navy has managed to preserve and multiply a lot, for a long time there was an illusion in civil shipbuilding and ship repair that everything could be ordered cheaper and easier abroad. In some countries, entire shipbuilding segments have grown well on Russian orders, and now, against the background of sanctions, they have begun to refuse orders to Russian shipowners.
The country's leadership is taking organizational and financial measures to develop the civil shipping sector.
— Is there anyone who can build these vessels in Russia today? After all, in the 1990s, not only industrial, but also human potential was lost.
— To begin with, by now it has been possible to revive the prestige of the shipbuilding profession. The demand for these specialists is as high as ever and continues to grow. Of course, there are still not enough of them. The Russian shipbuilding industry's need for engineers is many times greater than the number of specialists it graduates.
We still have a lot to do here, both in the field of higher and secondary vocational education. It is necessary to restructure the training of professionals for the new technological order. A modern worker must be able to handle not only a wrench, but also the most sophisticated equipment in a computerized digital production. To be fair, it's worth noting that a lot is changing in the field of maritime education. Not so long ago, I visited two universities in St. Petersburg that train personnel for shipbuilding, as well as marine and river transport, and I noticed with what enthusiasm students are mastering the profession. The educational base is being actively updated, scientific and production laboratories are appearing, modern simulators that allow training world-class professionals.
In the conditions of an acute shortage of personnel, shipyards began to use the capabilities of specialized scientific and production companies. Military service for guys with the most sought-after knowledge and skills takes place at the enterprise where they used to work. Such divisions are already operating at the Sevmash plants in the Arkhangelsk region, Yantar in Kaliningrad and Severnaya Verf in St. Petersburg. I think it is advisable to think about the emergence of additional scientific companies in the shipbuilding industry.
— Can we say that Russian marine science is developing at the same level as the world today? The rivalry in the world's oceans today is largely a battle of wits, and the successes of China already mentioned in our conversation are due, not least, to the excellent quality of scientific personnel providing Chinese shipbuilding and maritime policy in general.
— You are right, today science is the most important element of the country's maritime power. Russian scientists have proved that they can create real masterpieces that have no equal in the world. An excellent example is the floating nuclear thermal power plant Akademik Lomonosov, which was able to produce 1 billion kWh of electricity. This is a unique achievement, there is simply no such thing in the world. The plant has been operating for five years, it has proven its reliability and efficiency, and two of its reactors have recently been refueled.
Of course, there are a lot of problems too. Inattentive attitude to the state of the research fleet led to its obsolescence and reduction to a critical minimum. The average age of scientific vessels is about 34 years, and their wear exceeds 80%. The Government was instructed to develop additional measures aimed at creating favorable conditions for conducting marine scientific research, increasing the competitiveness of Arctic science, and organizing the construction of a research fleet.
A number of strategic industries have similar centers, but shipbuilding has never had anything like this before. It will be established on the basis of the Krylov Center, which is one of the largest organizations in the field of shipbuilding and ship design. The formation of the A. N. Krylov Research and Development Center will ensure the integration of research, design, technological and human resources into a single research structure, as well as enhance the coordination and effectiveness of scientific research management in the field of shipbuilding and civil shipbuilding.
— I can't help but ask about the Arctic in connection with Donald Trump's decree. The United States plans to develop Arctic maritime communications, among other things. Will their intentions in the region conflict with the Russian ones?
— We are ready for this, although we proceed from the fact that international law, including the historical practice that has developed in the Arctic, fully guarantees Russian sovereignty in the region, including over the Northern Sea Route. This highway is one of the most promising transport arteries in the world, and the strategic decision to develop it has fully justified itself.
Russia's position in the Arctic is very strong today, and in many aspects we have a foundation that no one else in the world has anywhere near. Take, for example, the unique icebreaking fleet. A comprehensive project for the development of the Arctic zone and the Northern Sea Route was actively discussed at the International Arctic Forum recently held in Murmansk. Today we are already talking about the NSR not as a separate national transport link, but as an integral part of the Transarctic Transport Corridor connecting the West and the East.
The experience of implementing projects in the Arctic shows that their launch and reaching their design capacity requires considerable time and resources. Therefore, it is necessary to switch to long-term planning for 20-30 years, for example, until 2050.
Normal cooperation in the development of the Arctic was considered by the first administration of Donald Trump as a promising direction for the development of dialogue between Moscow and Washington. It is possible that this time the United States will pay attention to this region and show interest in jointly solving the accumulated problems there. And there are many of them — strengthening the atmosphere of trust, economic projects, development of transport potential, protection of ecosystems and much more.
— You mentioned the atmosphere of trust between Russia and the United States. Do you think it can be restored at all now? And how can this be done?
— It can and should be done. Russia and the United States, as great powers, have historically borne a special responsibility for the fate of the world. And the experience of the past decades or even centuries shows that in the most difficult, crisis moments, our countries have always managed to overcome differences. I think that today the first step could be to jointly address this historical experience, which could serve as a symbolic basis for restarting the Russian-American dialogue.
— Do you remember the meeting on the Elbe on April 25, 1945?
— And her too, although there are many more episodes here. Arctic convoys and lend-lease are excellent examples of how Russia and the United States can cooperate despite their differences. But we can also recall lesser-known examples. In my opinion, the North American Expedition of the Russian Navy in 1863 is a magnificent, but undeservedly forgotten page of Russian-American history. After all, it was a critical moment in the history of the United States — the country was plunged into the chaos of a Civil War, there was a real threat of its territorial disintegration, and the British and French were hatching plans to intervene on the American continent. And it was the Russian Empire that decided to support Washington and the legitimate government of Abraham Lincoln by sending two powerful squadrons to both coasts of the United States.
This step was met with great enthusiasm by both the American elite and ordinary citizens, because Russia was almost the only one of the great powers that supported America at this difficult moment. Russian Russian sailors were received at the White House, parades were held in their honor, and the American Secretary of the Navy wrote in his diary, "God bless the Russians." I think such episodes of our shared history need to be recalled, studied, and even thought about perpetuating today.
