There Are Now More Russian Nuclear Attack Submarines Patrolling The Ocean Than Since Before The Cold War Ended

Russia is sinking an unprecedented amount of money and resources into its nuclear attack submarine program, and there are now more Russian subs than ever patrolling the seas.

Their actions are being considered a direct show of force to NATO, with many seeing parallels to the Cold War.

From The New York Times:

Russian attack submarines, the most in two decades, are prowling the coastlines of Scandinavia and Scotland, the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic in what Western military officials say is a significantly increased presence aimed at contesting American and NATO undersea dominance.

Adm. Mark Ferguson, the United States Navy’s top commander in Europe, said last fall that the intensity of Russian submarine patrols had risen by almost 50 percent over the past year, citing public remarks by the Russian Navy chief, Adm. Viktor Chirkov. Analysts say that tempo has not changed since then.

While Russian land and air forces have grown old and decrepit since the height of the Cold War, analysts say that Putin is not letting that happen with his underwater fleet.

The patrols are the most visible sign of a renewed interest in submarine warfare by President Vladimir V. Putin, whose government has spent billions of dollars for new classes of diesel and nuclear-powered attack submarines that are quieter, better armed and operated by more proficient crews than in the past.

“In the Russian naval structure, submarines are the crown jewels for naval combat power,” said Magnus Nordenman, director of the Atlantic Council’s trans-Atlantic security initiative in Washington. “The U.S. and NATO haven’t focused on anti-submarine operations lately, and they’ve let that skill deteriorate.”

This investment by Russia has started to spark another arms race.

American naval officials say that in the short term, the growing number of Russian submarines, with their ability to shadow Western vessels and European coastlines, will require more ships, planes and subs to monitor them. In the long term, the Defense Department has proposed $8.1 billion over the next five years for “undersea capabilities,” including nine new Virginia-class attack submarines that can carry up to 40 Tomahawk cruise missiles, more than triple the capacity now.

“We’re back to the great powers competition,” Adm. John M. Richardson, the chief of naval operations, said in an interview.

Sweet. The Hunt for Red October is back on. And although no one sees war with Moscow as imminent, there are concerns about just how prepared Russia is getting.

Russian submarines and spy ships now operate near the vital undersea cables that carry almost all global Internet communications, raising concerns among some American military and intelligence officials that the Russians could attack those lines in times of tension or conflict. Russia is also building an undersea unmanned drone capable of carrying a small, tactical nuclear weapon to use against harbors or coastal areas, American military and intelligence analysts said.

“We are not quite back in a Cold War,” said James G. Stavridis, a retired admiral and the former supreme allied commander of NATO, who is now dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. “But I sure can see one from where we are standing.”

Great.

See previously, all the other crap they’ve pulled.

[Via The New York Times]