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Russian live fire air military exercise underway near Alaska
Russian military actions are clearly the prelude for Moscow’s presentation of demands and get or take what it wants.
Sarcastically entitled ‘Exercise Stability 2008′ the live fire operations will take place Oct.-6-12 over sub-Arctic Russia uncomfortably close to Alaska. This is the first time in almost a quarter century Russia has ventured dozens of nuclear bombers for an exercise in which live cruise missiles will be fired.
Russian air force spokesman Col. Vladimir Drik says Exercise Stability 2008 is “practicing the strategic deployment of the armed forces including the nuclear triad.” Triad refers to land, submarine and bomber launched nuclear weapons.
Last week on Oct. 1, Russian warships armed with nuclear missiles docked at Syrian ports and Oct. 8, on the eve of Yom Kippur, will continue into the Caribbean for joint maneuvers with Venezuela.
Col. Drik stressed that the Tu-95 and Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers will “carry their maximum combat payload and fire all the cruise missiles on board.” Also taking part in the air force exercise are Tu-22M3 Backfire strategic bombers, air superiority fighters, interceptors and aerial tankers.
The locations of the war games were deliberately chosen to underline three messages to America on the eve of its Presidential election.
- Russia is willing to brandish its nuclear strength in America’s face - to the north (Arctic) and south (Caribbean) - to challenge America’s position as the world’s No. 1 superpower.
- Russia is powerful and rich enough to rise above the shockwaves rocking the world’s financial markets while carrying on developing its military muscle and expanding its spheres of influence.
- By docking at the Syrian port of Tartus, the Peter the Great nuclear missile cruiser is Moscow’s marker on the Mediterranean to betoken the end of US Sixth Fleet’s sway.
Yesterday, Oct. 3, Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Russian Security Council, announced that 20,000 kilometers of the Russian border passes through the Arctic. Moscow therefore claims 18 percent of its territory and is preparing a plan to implement this policy. That include taking out oil and natural gas that exist there in vast deposits.
On September 30th the Russian nuclear powered submarine Ryazan docked at the Kamchatka Peninsula opposite Northern Japan after completing a one-month voyage under the Arctic Ocean without surfacing. That Delta III class strategic nuclear submarine is armed with sixteen nuclear tipped ballistic missiles with a range of 8,000 km. Russian Navy Commander Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky welcoming the Ryazan’s arrival said: “The navy continues to play an important role in safeguarding Russia’s maritime economic and research activity throughout the world, including in the Arctic.”
Russia sees weakness in a self-absorbed America. It is encouraged by presidential candidate Obama’s promise to cut military budgets. When Clinton cut military budgets in the 1992-1999 Russia was emboldened to develop is oil and gas reserves and is now ready to exploit its oil and gas production and take what is wants.
Russia’s air and naval strength does not yet match America’s military might but it has more than doubled it military spending including: a 23% increase last year, more increases likely, and the possibility of American cut backs makes Putin feel the time has come to get what he wants - a new Russian empire. Although Russian president Dmitry Medvedev stated emphatically last week that there is no cold war or any other war with America, Moscow’s actions tell a different story.