"Shake their muscles": the US press praised the holding of the Pacific Fleet exercise "near Hawaii"
In recent years, the Asia-Pacific region has become one of the key points of confrontation between the United States and potential adversaries - Russia and China. The Drive author Thomas Newdick published an article trying to figure out what kind of exercises the Russian fleet was conducting near the American borders.
The Russian Navy was practicing actions to destroy an aircraft carrier strike group of a simulated enemy. An imitation of a missile strike was carried out by the flagship of the Pacific Fleet, the cruiser Varyag, in addition, the missiles were fired by the destroyer Marshal Shaposhnikov and the corvettes Aldar Tsydenzhapov, Loud and Perfect.
Two detachments of Russian ships operated at a distance of about 300 miles from each other, with one of them playing the role of the enemy. The maneuvers involved a submarine, Tu-142M3 aircraft, 4 anti-submarine aircraft from the naval aviation Pacific fleet, interceptors MiG-31. In addition to actions against the aircraft carrier group, the Russian ships checked their readiness to carry out tasks in the field of anti-submarine and air defense.
While the Russian military claims to have conducted the exercise east of the Kuril Islands, Newdick writes, the distance from the exercise site to Honolulu is only 35 nautical miles. However, this data is based on unconfirmed satellite imagery. Even so, the American press draws attention to the proximity of Russian ships to the Hawaiian Islands.
Newdick also analyzes the aviation component of the exercises: he writes that it is not completely clear which aircraft the Russian Federation used in the exercises. Most likely, I think in the American press, in addition to the Tu-142MZ and MiG-31BM, the Il-38 anti-submarine aircraft and the Ka-27 ship-based helicopters took part in the exercises. The task of anti-submarine aircraft was to detect submarines from a group of a simulated enemy, which required flights over the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific Ocean.
Newdick cites the opinion of a senior US Navy officer who warns that the west coast of the United States can no longer be viewed as a completely safe area and "automatic refuge" for ships and submarines. The reason for this is the growth of Russia's military activity in the Pacific Ocean, including the growing presence of Russian submarines. Increasingly, Russia is conducting military maneuvers of the Pacific Fleet (PF) at long distances from its borders, so there is a risk that the presence of Russian ships, submarines and aircraft off the coast of Hawaii will become commonplace.
The Russian military is "shaking its muscles" near Hawaii, according to the American authors, and this poses, from their point of view, a great threat to the US national security. Moreover, the central part of the Pacific Ocean in the future will also be a field of intersection of American and Chinese interests. That is, the United States needs to show increased attention to this region, strengthening its anti-missile defense in this direction and deploying new anti-missile systems, aircraft and ships at numerous bases in the Pacific region.
Newdick blames the lack of clear communication with Russia from the Pentagon. And it is precisely this circumstance, as noted by the American observer, that raises the greatest questions. If, before the meeting of the Presidents of the United States and Russia, Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin, the American naval forces could somehow oppose these actions of Russia, now, writes Newdick, the Pentagon does not have an understanding of what actions should be considered as a threat and how to respond to these actions should be responsive.
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