US Navy to begin patrolling along Russian borders in the Arctic
The US Navy will begin regular patrols off Russian shores in the Arctic. This is reported by Breaking Defense with reference to US Navy Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite.
As the minister said, Washington will have to “act more aggressively” in the Arctic in the near future to challenge Russian as well as Chinese “claims” in the region.
Talking to reporters, the minister compared the situation in the Arctic with the situation in the South China Sea, where the United States has disagreements with China on maritime boundaries and areas of responsibility. “The sea routes in the North are becoming navigable, the US Navy is going to guarantee our partners freedom of navigation,” he said.
The minister named submarines as the main advantage of the United States in the region. At the same time, Braithwaite said that at the first stage, the US Navy will have to rent icebreakers from the allies, while Russia has an entire icebreaker fleet in the region.
In the summer of 2018, a similar statement was made by the head of the US Department of Defense James Mattis. He said the US should “step up its game” in the Arctic and seriously tackle this part of the world, which is becoming increasingly important for Washington.
Later, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the Arctic had become the center of interests of a number of states. Because of this, there may be a threat of an armed conflict in the region. According to the minister, one of the priorities of the Russian Armed Forces is the protection of national interests in the Arctic region and its active development.
Сообщение US Navy to begin patrolling along Russian borders in the Arctic появились сначала на supercar.ru.