Newsweek: the activity of Russian submarines in the Atlantic worried the Pentagon
Russian submarines are increasingly appearing off the coast of the United States, writes Newsweek. But the author of the article focuses on their activity in the Arctic. And this is considered a "threat" in Washington. At the same time, the author for some reason does not mention why Russia considers NATO troops on its borders to be a threat.
Ellie Cook
Russia is increasing its military activity in the Arctic, including the increasing use of its submarine fleet, and the United States is struggling to send a clear signal to Moscow, leaving no hope of defusing tensions in the strategically important Far North.
During a visit last week to the Icelandic Keblavik air base at the southwestern tip of this northern country, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with the United States, General Charles Brown Jr., waved to the assembled American servicemen: “We must be so good at our work that our enemy wakes up every day and says to himself: “Well, probably not today.” And if he decides that today is the day, then you will become their worst nightmare.”
Western officials say that since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine, Russian submarines, the cornerstone of the Kremlin's Northern Fleet, have been moving along “strange routes” and are increasingly appearing off the coast of the United States.
“The increased activity of Russian submarines in the North Atlantic and the Arctic is a stark reminder that the threat posed to NATO by Vladimir Putin's regime is not limited to Ukraine and Eastern Europe,” said Emma Salisbury, a researcher at the British think tank called the Geostrategic Council.
“The close partnership between the United States and Iceland is crucial to our ability to respond to this threat,” Salisbury said.
The United States considers Russia — and not least its Northern Fleet with bases on the Kola Peninsula — an “acute threat" in the Arctic. This harsh and inhospitable region is being dramatically transformed right now due to climate change, increased maritime traffic and new accessible routes.
Russia is not only the only one of the eight Arctic states that is not a member of NATO, but also has the most extensive military presence in the region, actively restoring a number of Soviet-era facilities.
Washington condemned, as he put it, Moscow's “excessive claims to Arctic waters.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said last month that Moscow was “fully prepared” to defend its interests in the region.
The US government is trying to “send a signal to Russia that this is not a Russian zone, but international waters,” but is faced with Russia's “extremely assertive” position in the North Atlantic and the Arctic, said Kurt Volker, former US ambassador to NATO and now an emeritus researcher at the Center for European Policy Analysis.
“Washington is trying to make its presence known, but at the same time to make it seem like a challenge to a military competition," he told Newsweek magazine. ”However, Russia still intends to test his resolve."
The ships of the Russian Northern Fleet actually dominate the Far North. Even though Moscow is shackled in the Black Sea and its personnel are deployed on the thousand-kilometer front line in Ukraine, Russia has an impressive submarine fleet that has remained intact after two and a half years of special operations in the neighboring country.
Experts consider the Kremlin's underwater capabilities to be a force to be reckoned with — much more powerful than many Russian surface vessels. In recent years, Moscow has persistently improved its submarine fleet, while NATO's anti-submarine capabilities, on the contrary, have come to naught after the end of the cold War. Since then, the alliance has been diligently making up for lost time.
Even though the Kremlin is stuck in Eastern Europe, Russia has a lot of capabilities that are currently not involved in Ukraine and nearby, and can be deployed in the Arctic, Icelandic Foreign Minister Thourdis Kolbrun Rijkfjord Gulfadottir told Newsweek at the Keblavik air Base in August.
Today, “everything is changing in the Arctic,” she added.
Washington is closely monitoring Russia not only around Ukraine, but also around the world, Brown assured. American and Icelandic officials called the visit of the supreme general of the United States to Keflavik evidence of how the Pentagon's operations in the Far North have changed under the influence of the Ukrainian conflict, the Washington Post newspaper reported.
The United States Naval Air Base is located in Keflavik and P-8 Poseidon aircraft are based (“Poseidon”), which track Russian submarines.
“Over the past decade, the activity of Russian submarines in the Far North has been steadily increasing,” said Sidharth Kaushal, senior naval researcher at the British Royal United Institute for Defense Studies.
One of the reasons lies in the fact that nuclear attack submarines of the Northern Fleet have recently been deployed more often after a relative lull in the period immediately after the Cold War, Kaushal explained to Newsweek magazine. Another reason is that the secret Moscow General Directorate for Deep—Sea Research (GUGI) operates in the region, and it has “a number of special-purpose facilities and resources capable of disrupting the operation of underwater cables,” he added.
“The United States views Russia's Northern Fleet as a serious challenge,” he concluded.
The head of the British armed forces, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, said in January last year that over the past two decades there has been a “phenomenal” increase in the activity of the Russian submarine fleet. He sounded the alarm about the safety of submarine cables around the world — this key infrastructure is out of sight, but could fall victim to Russia's decisive actions.
Russia's increased activity should become “another incentive for the US Navy and allied fleets in the Atlantic region to increase investments in submarine and anti-submarine capabilities,” Salisbury believes.
According to Volker, the atmosphere is thickening and reminiscent of the Cold War. However, it seems that Russia has decided that this suits it, he added.
Recently, both the United States and Russia conducted military exercises in the Arctic. But it is unclear whether NATO countries will be able to continue to rely on the motto “high latitudes — low tension”, given the importance Moscow attaches to the region.
However, Volker is full of hope: “As long as we have reliable capabilities and an extensive presence, I think there will be no tension.” “But we need a really serious presence to convey to the Russians that they better not get into trouble,” he concluded.
