D
Dr. Jai Maharaj
Guest
Russia dispatches aircraft carrier group to Mediterranean
in effort to restore naval presence
The Associated Press
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Moscow (AP) - Russia dispatched an 11-ship aircraft carrier
group to the Mediterranean Sea, the defense minister said
Wednesday - part of what he said was an effort to resume
regular Russian naval patrols on the world's oceans.
The announcement by Anatoly Serdyukov is the latest move by
Russia to expand its military presence internationally and
flex growing economic and military strength.
Speaking at a Kremlin meeting with President Vladimir
Putin, Serdyukov said an aircraft carrier, two anti-
submarine ships, a guided missile cruiser along with
refueling ships from Russia's Northern and Black Sea fleets
and 47 aircraft would be part of the group in the
Mediterranean.
He said the group would conduct three tactical exercises
with real and simulated launches of sea- and air-based
missiles and make nearly a dozen port calls.
"The expedition is aimed at ensuring a naval presence and
establishing conditions for secure Russian navigation,"
Serdyukov said in televised comments.
Earlier this year, naval chief Admiral Vladimir Masorin
called for restoring a permanent Russian presence in the
Mediterranean, saying it was a strategically important zone
for the Black Sea Fleet.
Soviet navy ships used to be based at Syria's Mediterranean
port of Tartus, and Russia still maintains a technical base
there to serve its military vessels that regularly go into
the Mediterranean.
Military analysts have said militarily it made no sense for
Russia to have a presence in the Mediterranean. Others have
suggested that Russia might seek to relocate part of its
Black Sea Fleet to the Mediterranean if it fails to get an
extension of its agreement with Ukraine on leasing the
Sevastopol port when it expires in 2017.
The naval expedition is the latest effort by President
Vladimir Putin to breathe new life into Russian armed
forces, bolstered by the torrent of oil revenues pouring
into government coffers.
Earlier this year, he ordered the military to resume
regular long-range flights of strategic bombers. In recent
years, Russia's bombers have resumed flights to areas off
Norway and Iceland, as well as Russia's northeast corner,
across the Bering Strait from Alaska several years ago.
Still, it was unclear how much of a presence the Russian
naval ships would have, either in the Mediterranean or in
other oceans. Like other branches of military, the navy,
particularly its surface fleet, suffered in the aftermath
of the Soviet collapse, as a lack of funding resulted in
ships and submarines rusting away in docks and berths.
Last month, a group of independent military experts said
Putin's government had failed to reverse the post-Soviet
decline of Russia's armed forces despite repeated pledges,
saying the military continues to suffer from rampant
corruption, inefficiency and poor morale. The Kremlin also
has failed to deliver on its promises to modernize
arsenals, they said.
Experts also have said increasing military budgets under
Putin have actually bought less weapons compared with
President Boris Yeltsin's presidency, and blamed graft as
the root of the problem.
More at:
http://www.kyivpost.com/bn/27932/
Jai Maharaj
http://tinyurl.com/24fq83
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Om Shanti
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The truth about Islam and Muslims
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o Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used for the educational
purposes of research and open discussion. The contents of this post may not
have been authored by, and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the
poster. The contents are protected by copyright law and the exemption for
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o If you send private e-mail to me, it will likely not be read,
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FAIR USE NOTICE: This article may contain copyrighted material the use of
which may or may not have been specifically authorized by the copyright
owner. This material is being made available in efforts to advance the
understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic,
democratic, scientific, social, and cultural, etc., issues. It is believed
that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title
17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without
profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included
information for research, comment, discussion and educational purposes by
subscribing to USENET newsgroups or visiting web sites. For more information
go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this article for purposes of
your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the
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in effort to restore naval presence
The Associated Press
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Moscow (AP) - Russia dispatched an 11-ship aircraft carrier
group to the Mediterranean Sea, the defense minister said
Wednesday - part of what he said was an effort to resume
regular Russian naval patrols on the world's oceans.
The announcement by Anatoly Serdyukov is the latest move by
Russia to expand its military presence internationally and
flex growing economic and military strength.
Speaking at a Kremlin meeting with President Vladimir
Putin, Serdyukov said an aircraft carrier, two anti-
submarine ships, a guided missile cruiser along with
refueling ships from Russia's Northern and Black Sea fleets
and 47 aircraft would be part of the group in the
Mediterranean.
He said the group would conduct three tactical exercises
with real and simulated launches of sea- and air-based
missiles and make nearly a dozen port calls.
"The expedition is aimed at ensuring a naval presence and
establishing conditions for secure Russian navigation,"
Serdyukov said in televised comments.
Earlier this year, naval chief Admiral Vladimir Masorin
called for restoring a permanent Russian presence in the
Mediterranean, saying it was a strategically important zone
for the Black Sea Fleet.
Soviet navy ships used to be based at Syria's Mediterranean
port of Tartus, and Russia still maintains a technical base
there to serve its military vessels that regularly go into
the Mediterranean.
Military analysts have said militarily it made no sense for
Russia to have a presence in the Mediterranean. Others have
suggested that Russia might seek to relocate part of its
Black Sea Fleet to the Mediterranean if it fails to get an
extension of its agreement with Ukraine on leasing the
Sevastopol port when it expires in 2017.
The naval expedition is the latest effort by President
Vladimir Putin to breathe new life into Russian armed
forces, bolstered by the torrent of oil revenues pouring
into government coffers.
Earlier this year, he ordered the military to resume
regular long-range flights of strategic bombers. In recent
years, Russia's bombers have resumed flights to areas off
Norway and Iceland, as well as Russia's northeast corner,
across the Bering Strait from Alaska several years ago.
Still, it was unclear how much of a presence the Russian
naval ships would have, either in the Mediterranean or in
other oceans. Like other branches of military, the navy,
particularly its surface fleet, suffered in the aftermath
of the Soviet collapse, as a lack of funding resulted in
ships and submarines rusting away in docks and berths.
Last month, a group of independent military experts said
Putin's government had failed to reverse the post-Soviet
decline of Russia's armed forces despite repeated pledges,
saying the military continues to suffer from rampant
corruption, inefficiency and poor morale. The Kremlin also
has failed to deliver on its promises to modernize
arsenals, they said.
Experts also have said increasing military budgets under
Putin have actually bought less weapons compared with
President Boris Yeltsin's presidency, and blamed graft as
the root of the problem.
More at:
http://www.kyivpost.com/bn/27932/
Jai Maharaj
http://tinyurl.com/24fq83
http://www.mantra.com/jai
http://www.mantra.com/jyotish
Om Shanti
Hindu Holocaust Museum
http://www.mantra.com/holocaust
Hindu life, principles, spirituality and philosophy
http://www.hindu.org
http://www.hindunet.org
The truth about Islam and Muslims
http://www.flex.com/~jai/satyamevajayate
o Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used for the educational
purposes of research and open discussion. The contents of this post may not
have been authored by, and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the
poster. The contents are protected by copyright law and the exemption for
fair use of copyrighted works.
o If you send private e-mail to me, it will likely not be read,
considered or answered if it does not contain your full legal name, current
e-mail and postal addresses, and live-voice telephone number.
o Posted for information and discussion. Views expressed by others are
not necessarily those of the poster who may or may not have read the article.
FAIR USE NOTICE: This article may contain copyrighted material the use of
which may or may not have been specifically authorized by the copyright
owner. This material is being made available in efforts to advance the
understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic,
democratic, scientific, social, and cultural, etc., issues. It is believed
that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title
17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without
profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included
information for research, comment, discussion and educational purposes by
subscribing to USENET newsgroups or visiting web sites. For more information
go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this article for purposes of
your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the
copyright owner.
