According to a report in today's Freebeacon.com, a Russian Akula attack submarine just spent a few weeks vacationing in the Gulf of Mexico...and the U.S. Navy knew nothing about it. Besides spending time in waters much warmer than most Russian sailors are used to, the Gulf of Mexico is still considered very strategic waters by the United States Navy, with a major boomer submarine base off the coast of Georgia.
What in the name of John Paul Jones is going on here? The Navy is supposed to protect our shores, but it allows an Russian attack submarine armed with missiles capable of striking any spot in the United States to spend several weeks alone in the Gulf of Mexico without so much as a "Howdy" from the most powerful Navy in the world?
Maybe Obama's budget cuts, especially in ASW (Anti-submarine warfare) are not such a good idea. Russian President Putin is back in charge, and the ex-KGB operative shows every intention of returning to good old Soviet style diplomacy...which was always more about action than words. In case you haven't noticed, Putin has initiated a massive ship building program, and we'd better start paying attention. He's enjoyed tweaking us over Syria and Iran, and he is in a growing position to do something more about it.
After all, is there a big difference between the Soviet Union placing ballistic missiles in Cuba (October 1962) and allowing the Russians to cruise our shores with submarines that carry even more lethally armed cruise missiles? I don't think so, do you?
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