"Slim Pickens" for the win!
Posted on 01/04/2019 8:45:50 AM PST by familyop
Russia is deploying long-range, precision cruise missiles to the western Atlantic that American defense officials say will allow Moscow to target Washington and other East Coast cities with conventional or nuclear attacks.
Moscow is adding Kalibr land attack cruise missiles to both warships and missile submarines that Moscow plans to use in Atlantic patrols near the United States, sorties that were once routine during the Cold War.
The new sea-based Kalibr deployments are expected in the coming months, according to officials familiar with intelligence reports of the Russian maritime operations.
The land-attack version of the Kalibr, known as the SS-N-30A by NATO, is a relatively new weapon and was showcased for the first time by Moscow in attacks on Syria that began in 2015.
Russia has stated that over 100 Kalibr missile strikes were carried out against Islamic terrorists and other anti-Syrian government rebels.
The Office of Naval Intelligence in 2015 said the Kalibr is deployed on Russia's new Sverodvinsk-class nuclear attack submarine as well as older submarines and surface warships. A total of 32 Kalibrs can be launched from missile tubes on the new submarine.
Nuclear-armed Kalibrs will be deployed on Russia's new Borei-class missile submarines as well as the attack submarines.
Most of Russia's surface warships and many coastal vessels are being outfitted with the long-range missile.
The missile is considered very lethal because it flies close to the sea surface, frustrating efforts to detect and strike the missile with anti-missile systems.
"Russia plans to deploy Kalibr capability on all new design construction of nuclear and non-nuclear submarines, corvettes, frigates, and larger surface ships," the ONI said in a report, noting the missile gives even modest vessels "significant offensive capability."
"The proliferation of this capability within the new Russian Navy is profoundly changing its ability to deter, threaten or destroy adversary targets."
The missile also comes in anti-ship and anti-submarine variants.
According to ONI, the Kalibr land attack missile has a range of between 930 miles and 1,550 miles.
That range means a ship or submarine armed with Kalibrs and located 1,000 miles off the U.S. coast could target all American cities stretching from Boston to Miami and as far west as Chicago.
Kalibr is a concern for U.S. military commanders in Europe as a result of their deployment on ships and submarines in the Mediterranean and areas near Europe. The missile has been compared to the Navy's Tomahawk cruise missile.
Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, NATO commander and commander of the European Command, told Congress last spring he is concerned about the submarine-launched Kalibr.
"The activity level of their maritime forces is up in Europe," Scaparrotti told the House Armed Services Committee, adding that the deployments were not normal.
"Most of their ships now have a Kalibr system on them," he said. "It is both conventional and can be nuclear, if they choose to do so. It's a very good system. It provides reach and precision, and, of course, wherever they have a ship, whether it's undersea or on the surface, many of their ships now have the Kalibr system on them."
Scaparrotti said the Russians are making "rapid progress" in developing the new Severodvinsk nuclear attack submarine, more capable Kilo submarines, and Kalibr cruise missiles.
Vice Adm. James Foggo III, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe, described the Kalibr as a missile "I'm very interested in."
"It's a capable weapon system and from where the Russians operate it's capable of targeting any capital in Europe," he said. "Do I think they'll do that? No, I don't, because I think that the NATO Alliance operates from a position of strength."
Foggo said it's important for the United States to know the location of Russian submarines in the European theater at all times.
Asked during a Pentagon briefing if all Russian submarines can be detected where they sail, Foggo said: "Well, I prefer not to comment on the tactical details and the operational issues. But I can tell you that we hold an acoustic advantage, and we will continue to do that. Our boats are the best in the world."
He also warned last year about the growing threat of Russian undersea warfare capabilities.
"Russia has renewed its capabilities in the North Atlantic and the Arctic in places not seen since the Cold War. For example, Russian forces have recently reoccupied seven for their former Soviet Union bases in the Arctic Circle," Foggo said.
"The improved capability of Russia to be able to project power into this [European] region and these strategic routes from the Arctic into the North Atlantic and the [Greenland, Iceland, United Kingdom] Gap is something that we need to pay particular attention to."
Russian submarines, Foggo said, "today are perhaps some of the most silent and lethal in the world, with the exception of our own."
Kalibr missiles deployed on a variety of launch platforms have "shown the ability to reach pretty much all the capitals in Europe from any of the bodies of water that surround Europe."
"We know that Russian submarines are in the Atlantic, testing our defenses, confirming our command of the seas and preparing a very complex underwater battlespace to try to give them an edge in any future conflict," Foggo said Oct. 4 in a podcast. "And we need to deny them that edge."
A Navy spokesman had no comment and a spokesman for the Northern Command, which in charge of defending the U.S. homeland, also declined to comment.
Mark Schneider, a former Pentagon nuclear analyst, said the Russians have stated that the Kalibr will be a major weapons system for the Russian navy and will be dual-capable—armed with both conventional and nuclear warheads.
"The Russians say the long-range version of the Kalibr is a nuclear capable missile with a range of 2,000 or 2,500 kilometers [1,242 miles or 1,553 miles]," Schneider said.
Russian state-run media reports have identified the new Severodvinsk-class submarine with Kalibr missile as part of the strategic nuclear forces, he added.
"There is no reason it can’t be used against the U.S.," Schneider said. "Its range is comparable to the early Polaris missiles which were our strategic deterrent in the 1960s."
The Kalibr is one of two main weapons systems that Russia plans to use in any future strikes on the United States. The second is the advanced Kh-101 air-launched cruise missile that can be armed with either conventional or nuclear warheads.
The Washington Free Beacon reported in 2015 that Russian bombers practiced cruise missile strikes on the United States from launch areas off the coast of Canada in September 2014.
Last month, Russia President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow will soon deploy a new hypersonic missile capable of defeating U.S. missile defenses. The new missile called Avangard was flight tested last month and traveled at a reported Mach 30—more than 20,000 miles per hour—while maneuvering and changing altitude.
Putin has stated that Russia may produce a land-based version of the Kalibr because of the U.S. pullout from the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
Also in December, Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of Russian magazine National Defense, stated that Russia could deploy its submarines close to the United States.
"Our submarines, too, might have surfaced suddenly some place in the Gulf of Mexico to shock America," Korotchenko said. "We have the corresponding forces of our submarine fleet there. We do not do that for the simple reason our purpose is not to show off in such a silly way, but to cope with the assigned tasks."
Russia claimed in state media earlier this year that in 2013 a Russian submarine sailed into the Gulf of Mexico undetected.
A Russian submarine officer asserted that an Akula-class nuclear-powered attack submarine armed with Kalibr cruise missiles came within "missile strike distance from one of the main bases of American submarines," an apparent reference to the Kings Bay submarine base in Georgia.
The Free Beacon reported in 2012 that the Akula-class submarine sailed in the Gulf of Mexico.
However, the chief of naval operations at the time, Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, denied the incursion in a letter to Sen. John Cornyn (R., Texas). "Based on all of the source information available to us, a Russian submarine did not enter the Gulf of Mexico," Greenert said.
The Kalibr also comes in an export version known as the Klub that are deployed in a launch cannister disguised as a shipping container, making it an ideal missile to fire from the deck of a merchant vessel.
The Russian navy is a shadow of its former self. Most of their subs are rotting away at anchor. Their aircraft carrier is broken more often than not.
very discouraging news, but Russia can already hit those targets so... still, very very bad they’d even want to augment their mutli -varied strike capabilities with yet another level of redundancy
(ps: its pretty clear that Russia, China, and the Muslims like Iran/Saudi/Qatar are very very dangerous to America...
no matter how or where they choose to deploy their weapons
Fire a missile at us and see what happens.
I’m so sick of this appeasement crap.
The Russians can deploy these missiles - we can’t stop them. Of course, they already have not just the East Coast, but the entire country, targeted with nukes, so I don’t see what this does to present much of an additional threat.
However, if they want to play these kind of games with a nation that has an economy some 15 times larger than their own, let them...we’ll break their backs AGAIN, just like Reagan did in the ‘80s. Putin should be smarter than this, and be putting whatever little spare cash that Russia has into developing his nation’s economy.
We should have had SDI in place decades ago.
I wouldn't be too concerned about a missile from Ikea.
Russia Announces Military Base in Venezuela
https://www.breitbart.com/latin-america/2018/12/18/russia-announces-military-base-in-venezuela/
Russia announces plans to set up its first ever military base in the Caribbean - the country’s largest presence in the region since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6504447/Russia-announces-plans-set-military-base-Caribbean.html
Report:
Russia announces plans to set up military base in Caribbean
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/256364
VLAD’S NUKE ISLAND Russia is setting up a military base on Caribbean island to host NUCLEAR BOMBERS
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3715520/posts
Oh, great. Russia takes over Venezuela’s oil industry
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3715497/posts
Venezuela's Chavez Welcomes Russian Warships
Published November 25, 2008, Last Update January 13, 2015
https://www.foxnews.com/story/venezuelas-chavez-welcomes-russian-warships
https://venezuela.liveuamap.com/en/2018/10-december-norwegian-f18-fighter-jets-shadowed-russian-tu160
“Norwegian F-18 fighter jets shadowed Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers at several stages of flight from Russia to Venezuela - @mod_russia”
Venezuela Buying Su-30s, Helicopters, etc. From Russia
Mar 31, 2016 00
https://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/venezuela-buying-su30s-helicopters-et-al-from-russia-02472/
Venezuelan plant to start producing Russian rifles next year
2018-08-22
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-08/22/c_137408276.htm
China-Russia is Venezuela’s closest ally.
Why some Venezuelans fear Maduro is selling them out to China
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/venezuela-china-beijing-maduro-economy-support-1.4824112
China is Venezuela’s main creditor, so China produces oil there.
Venezuela hands China more oil presence, but no mention of new funds
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-venezuela-idUSKCN1LU1EV
China vows to help crisis-hit Venezuela
https://www.dw.com/en/china-vows-to-help-crisis-hit-venezuela/a-45492164
China OPPOSES US sanctions on Venezuela [along with Russia.]
https://theduran.com/china-opposes-us-sanctions-venezuela/
Venezuela to significantly increase oil exports to China [Heh...really China increasing oil exports to China from Venezuela, pretty much like Russia’s plan.]
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/09/venezuela-significantly-increase-oil-exports-china-180919070322004.html
State Media: ‘The Presence of China in Venezuela Is Getting Stronger Every Day
https://www.breitbart.com/latin-america/2018/09/17/state-media-presence-china-venezuela-getting-stronger-every-day/
Venezuela Agreed To Let Russia Set Up A Bomber Outpost On This Caribbean Island: Reports
The Drive
BY JOSEPH TREVITHICK
DECEMBER 18, 2018
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/25570/venezuela-agreed-to-let-russia-set-up-a-bomber-outpost-on-this-carribean-island-reports
“Russian media outlets are reporting that the Kremlin is planning to establish a forward outpost on the Venezuelan island of La Orchila in the Caribbean Sea and base nuclear-capable Tu-160 Blackjack bombers, two of which just wrapped up a recent deployment to the country, at the site. If true, this could help bolster the embattled regime of Venezuela’s dictatorial president Nicolás Maduro and would significantly change the strategic reality in the Western Hemisphere for the United States.”
Russia, China, Radical Islam and the Latin American Threat to US Survival
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2677073/posts
China Panics over Bolsonaro: ‘Unthinkable’ for Brazil to Align with U.S. and Taiwan
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3701040/posts
Emerging Threats-China rising as South America's trade savior & strategic partner
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2328266/posts
Allen West- Venezuelan Missiles Could Threaten South Florida
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/2830150/posts
Venezuela Set to Develop Nuclear Power With Russia
AP
Published September 29, 2008, Last Update January 13, 2015
https://www.foxnews.com/story/venezuela-set-to-develop-nuclear-power-with-russia
"CARACAS, Venezuela – President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that Russia will help Venezuela develop nuclear energy — a move likely to raise U.S. concerns over increasingly close cooperation between Caracas and Moscow."
Venezuela Nuclear Weapons
GlobalSecurity.org
[Excerpt:]
"The US Justice Department announced September 17, 2010 that a scientist and his wife, who both previously worked as contractors at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in New Mexico, have been indicted on charges of communicating classified nuclear weapons data to a person they believed to be a Venezuelan government official and conspiring to participate in the development of an atomic weapon for Venezuela, among other violations."
The communist plan is working. Flood the US with liberal non- whites and watch the US die. Those with in the Gop and dems that are sympathetic to the communist will continue to work against the US.
Time to put a sub in the vicinity of those warships that will be carrying those missiles.
If one missile launches the ship and crew will be at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
I miss the good old days when we tracked their subs by the radiation trail they left behind. One thing that does not change is their lousy maintenance.
It has been my take over time, that sometimes simplicity outperforms the latest tech.
IMO, you NEVER take your enemy for granted. You need to think outside the box every bit as much as they do, even more-so.
We have relied on our carriers quite heavily. I am assured they are safe, but I am not convinced of it.
You thin out our carriers, and all of a sudden you’ve got a new ball game.
Would we have enough surface ships to retaliate in theater globally? I think we’ve let our guard down considerably since Reagan.
Look, I’m not an expert, but I’m just not liking what I’ve been seeing. Here’s on article on the topic. I’m not claiming it is the be-all end all on the topic, but it does provide some base-lines for discussion.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/us-navy-struggling-grow-26071
Someone may be stupid enough to do something like this, but they’d pay a very heavy price for it. This might spur them to make other stupid moves.
Escalation could result, and it get very very messy.
Some of the greenies would be jumping for joy.
Nothing in wartime is ever "safe", no ship is "unsinkable".
Remember, our Pacific carriers only survived the Pearl Harbor attack by luck -- being out of port at the time.
But US aircraft carriers are built tough, possibly the toughest ships afloat, and surrounded by a perimeter of escorts and pickets, they can take & survive a lot of punishment.
How long could they survive an all-out world war?
Nobody knows, possibly the next "big one" will obsolete carriers the way the last one did battle ships, or maybe not.
But carriers' first & foremost role is to keep the peace and if they continue doing that job well, we may never have to learn the results of another "big one".
I agree with your line of thought there.
We are at around 270 ships in our NAVY. At a time when other nations are building up, we seem satisfied with the status quo.
We’ve gone from close to 600 ships to now around 270, as I mentioned. That is not good.
While some of our ships are more capable than our former ships, you still have to have enough to deploy to different regions.
If we have ten U. S. Aircraft carrier battle groups, and those have deploy around them five to seven other ships, we’re talking in the neighborhood of 200 ships other than our carrier groups.
Some of those other ships aren’t offensive in nature.
Pretty quickly you get to slim pickings if you’re not careful.
Sad to say but I am beginning to think only a terrible World War will unite the American People and make the youth learn their is more to the world than free stuff and video games. WW III would solve many problems—like over population, Overweight people, welfare, immigration.etc... A bitter medicine for our problems.
I don’t see mankind surviving another WW.
I come from a religious background, and it seems to me we’ve pretty much proven man’s inability to govern himself.
Even in our nation with the beautiful founding documents we have/had, look at this mess.
IMO < the best defense we have these days is being right with the Lord.
We can see the beginning of the end in our own nation too, what with Islam gaining ground, Sharia law being entertained in Western nations, and our Freedoms once taken for granted, being whittled away one by one.
Take it for what it’s worth, but I’ve seen too much of the end day predictions in the Bible come true, to totally dismiss Christ and his sacrifice for us.
Take care.
Yeah, but they probably have the Breshnev jokey headed in our direction. Smile...
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