Mediterranean Naval Task Force - to be
It often happens that press reports referring to anonymous sources in the Ministry of Defense or other organizations are soon refuted by officials. However, sometimes news receive confirmation, sometimes even at the highest level. So it happened with the information about the resumption of the permanent presence of the ships of the Russian naval fleet in the Mediterranean Sea.
The first reports of such plans by the Ministry of Defense appeared at the very end of February. At a recent meeting on the future of the Russian Navy, Defense Minister S. Shoigu confirmed that a decision had already been made to form the command of the operational force that would be on duty in the Mediterranean. Russian ships will henceforth be constantly in this region and carry out various combat training tasks. The Minister noted that there are all possibilities for such a duty. As an example, he cited the January teachings, held in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Naval sailors of several fleets during these activities have shown that they are fully capable of working together as part of a single compound. In addition, the exercises confirmed that the Russian fleet is able to work at a distance from bases, including in the Mediterranean region.
However, Shoigu noted that given the current positive dynamics of the development of the fleet, his general condition cannot yet be called satisfactory. However, even in its current position, the Russian Navy is able to patrol in the Mediterranean. The Minister believes that the main problem of the Navy is the condition of the existing ships. For a long time, the Navy did not receive the required amount of equipment, which ultimately affected its combat effectiveness in general and the condition of individual ships in particular. As for those ships that were already built or were in the ranks, they were not served on time and in the required volumes. As a result, ships with extended turnaround times, as well as certain technical and combat limitations, have to be operated.
However, Russia needs to patrol the Mediterranean and, therefore, the command is creating a new operational force now, without waiting for the supply of a sufficient number of new ships. Therefore, it is now safe to say that the new compound will seriously lag behind the Soviet 5 Mediterranean squadron operating in the region from 1967 to 1992 a year in size. It simultaneously comprised up to 70-80 ships and vessels. Due to such a number of ships, the formations could be constantly present at various points of the Mediterranean Sea and track the movements of the ship groups of a potential enemy.
In today's conditions, the Russian Navy will not be able to allocate such a large number of ships and auxiliary vessels for the new compound. Most likely, a mixed compound consisting of ships from several fleets will operate in the Mediterranean. First of all, the Black Sea, Baltic and North. At the same time no more than a dozen ships will participate in the patrol at the same time. Thus, the patrol work of the new compound will look like the current trips, however, unlike them, it will be conducted regularly, and the ships will replace each other.
A separate issue is the basing and supply of ships. At present, the ships participating in the campaigns, after the joint fulfillment of the assigned tasks, diverge and return to their bases. Moreover, if the exercises take place in the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea Fleet ships arrive home relatively quickly, and the sailors of the Northern and Baltic Fleets have to go around Europe. Since full-fledged bases in the region are not foreseen in the near and distant future, logistics points can be a very good help in patrolling. Unfortunately, for the most part stories trips to the Mediterranean, there was only one such point - in the Syrian city of Tartus.
However, in view of the current situation in Syria, there is some chance of being left without this point of logistics. In this case, all the tasks of supply and technical assistance will have to be placed on the Black Sea bases. The situation with the prospects of the Tartus point is also aggravated by the fact that it will take some time to form a full-fledged connection, up to several years. No one can say now how the situation in the Middle East will change during this period.
In general, the creation of a new Mediterranean operational connection leaves more questions than answers. In view of the extreme shortage of official information, it is necessary to make assumptions about the quantitative and qualitative composition of the grouping, the routes and objectives of the patrol, all the relevant logistics, etc. In the two decades that have passed since the disbandment of the 5 Squadron, too many negative events have occurred, the consequences of which are still evident and partly make it difficult for our fleet to return to the Mediterranean region in full. However, the patrol of the Mediterranean is of great importance for the country's defense and the task has already been set. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the possibilities and prepare the ships for sailing.
On the materials of the sites:
http://rg.ru/
http://rus.ruvr.ru/
http://lenta.ru/
http://regnum.ru/
The first reports of such plans by the Ministry of Defense appeared at the very end of February. At a recent meeting on the future of the Russian Navy, Defense Minister S. Shoigu confirmed that a decision had already been made to form the command of the operational force that would be on duty in the Mediterranean. Russian ships will henceforth be constantly in this region and carry out various combat training tasks. The Minister noted that there are all possibilities for such a duty. As an example, he cited the January teachings, held in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Naval sailors of several fleets during these activities have shown that they are fully capable of working together as part of a single compound. In addition, the exercises confirmed that the Russian fleet is able to work at a distance from bases, including in the Mediterranean region.
However, Shoigu noted that given the current positive dynamics of the development of the fleet, his general condition cannot yet be called satisfactory. However, even in its current position, the Russian Navy is able to patrol in the Mediterranean. The Minister believes that the main problem of the Navy is the condition of the existing ships. For a long time, the Navy did not receive the required amount of equipment, which ultimately affected its combat effectiveness in general and the condition of individual ships in particular. As for those ships that were already built or were in the ranks, they were not served on time and in the required volumes. As a result, ships with extended turnaround times, as well as certain technical and combat limitations, have to be operated.
However, Russia needs to patrol the Mediterranean and, therefore, the command is creating a new operational force now, without waiting for the supply of a sufficient number of new ships. Therefore, it is now safe to say that the new compound will seriously lag behind the Soviet 5 Mediterranean squadron operating in the region from 1967 to 1992 a year in size. It simultaneously comprised up to 70-80 ships and vessels. Due to such a number of ships, the formations could be constantly present at various points of the Mediterranean Sea and track the movements of the ship groups of a potential enemy.
In today's conditions, the Russian Navy will not be able to allocate such a large number of ships and auxiliary vessels for the new compound. Most likely, a mixed compound consisting of ships from several fleets will operate in the Mediterranean. First of all, the Black Sea, Baltic and North. At the same time no more than a dozen ships will participate in the patrol at the same time. Thus, the patrol work of the new compound will look like the current trips, however, unlike them, it will be conducted regularly, and the ships will replace each other.
A separate issue is the basing and supply of ships. At present, the ships participating in the campaigns, after the joint fulfillment of the assigned tasks, diverge and return to their bases. Moreover, if the exercises take place in the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea Fleet ships arrive home relatively quickly, and the sailors of the Northern and Baltic Fleets have to go around Europe. Since full-fledged bases in the region are not foreseen in the near and distant future, logistics points can be a very good help in patrolling. Unfortunately, for the most part stories trips to the Mediterranean, there was only one such point - in the Syrian city of Tartus.
However, in view of the current situation in Syria, there is some chance of being left without this point of logistics. In this case, all the tasks of supply and technical assistance will have to be placed on the Black Sea bases. The situation with the prospects of the Tartus point is also aggravated by the fact that it will take some time to form a full-fledged connection, up to several years. No one can say now how the situation in the Middle East will change during this period.
In general, the creation of a new Mediterranean operational connection leaves more questions than answers. In view of the extreme shortage of official information, it is necessary to make assumptions about the quantitative and qualitative composition of the grouping, the routes and objectives of the patrol, all the relevant logistics, etc. In the two decades that have passed since the disbandment of the 5 Squadron, too many negative events have occurred, the consequences of which are still evident and partly make it difficult for our fleet to return to the Mediterranean region in full. However, the patrol of the Mediterranean is of great importance for the country's defense and the task has already been set. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the possibilities and prepare the ships for sailing.
On the materials of the sites:
http://rg.ru/
http://rus.ruvr.ru/
http://lenta.ru/
http://regnum.ru/
Information