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Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Where the Fleets Sail

The re-establishment of 2nd Fleet to help send troops and supplies from America across the Atlantic to Europe in case Russia commits aggression against NATO shuffles the fleet borders a bit.


Anti-submarine warfare is again on the training list.

Note how the border encompasses the Gulf of Mexico, reflecting the source of many of the convoys that would head to Europe. And note how Cuba, which in the Cold War would have been a potential cork in the Gulf bottle, is left in 4th Fleet. I guess nobody worries that Cuba-based planes, missiles, ships, and subs will be a potential problem.

Note the expansive reach of 6th Fleet in the post-Cold War world in contrast to its Cold War territory that was exclusively the Mediterranean Sea.

Whatever might be written about the "revival" of the Russian navy, it is in many ways a dead cat bounce, making it but a faint shadow of its Soviet predecessor in 1989.

Which Russia should celebrate. As a land power with a huge border to defend, a robust Russian fleet is actually a source of Russian weakness.