Friday, October 31, 2014

Chief of Naval Operations Warns of Advanced Russian Submarine Development

U.S. national security officials are concerned about the pace and intensity of Russian submarine development, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jon Greenert said Thursday.
"There are competitors that are pursuing us. We know about China. That is very well spelled out, but not as many people know what the Russians are up to. I can't go into detail, obviously, but they spend a lot of money. The Russians have been working on a sea-based strategic deterrence - and an SSN (attack submarine)," Greenert said at the Naval Submarine League's annual symposium in Falls Church, Va.
Senior Navy leaders spelled out how Russian and Chinese are increasing defense spending year-to-year when compared with the U.S. The U.S. spends more overall than both Russian and China, but the gap is shrinking, something that is a concerning trend for U.S. Navy leaders.
Russia reportedly plans to sell a variant of its new Amur 1650 attack submarine to the Chinese. The Amur 1650 is a modern version of the Kilo-class Russian submarine with improved acoustic stealth, new combat systems, and air-independent propulsion, according to a report in the Inquisitr.
The website also reported that the Russian military successfully tested a Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, launched from a Russian nuclear submarine, the Vladimir Monomakh. The U.S. Navy believes that the newest of China's nuclear submarines, the Jin SSBN, would mark China's first credible at-sea-second-strike nuclear capability, according to the report.
Greenert said the U.S. Navy is taking its own strides to advance its submarine fleet as the Ohio Replacement Program, or ORP, is in the early stages of development. The U.S. Navy plans to begin construction of a new class of 12 next-generation, quiet and stealthy nuclear-armed submarines able to provide what's called strategic nuclear deterrence.
Undersea strategic nuclear deterrence means that in the unlikely event of a catastrophic first-strike against the U.S. using nuclear weapons, the presence of nuclear-armed submarines in the ocean could guarantee a defensive response.
Read the rest of the story HERE.

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