UK,US and Irish Defence Forces Track Russian Warships

A Russian Navy task group has been traversing the North Atlantic Ocean near Ireland recently,drawing the scrutiny of Royal Navy frigate HMS Lancaster (F229),a US Navy P8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft and an Irish Air Corps surveillance plane-and possibly an Irish Sea Service vessel.The USN aircraft departed Iceland on the morning of 30 August 2022 and headed toward the West Coast of Ireland where the Russian warships were located.Indeed,the Russian task group have reportedly been loitering for several weeks in the North Atlantic.The task group includes the Russian naval tanker Vyazma;the cruise missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov;and the destroyer Vice Admiral Kulakov.Initially,they sailed north toward the Irish Sea,but strangely turned around and made for the southwest.The task group has been in the same general area off the West Coast of Ireland for at least two weeks.*Typically such a task group is accompanied by a Russian hunter killer submarine.The area is in international waters,but also solidly within the Republic of Ireland's exclusive economic zone.The Irish Defence Forces do not comment on operational deployments.British experts,however,observed that the Russian task group was exhibiting aggressive posturing behaviour reminiscent of the Cold War.The warships are believed to ultimately be headed back to their homeport in Russia's Kola Peninsula,having first supported Russia's brutal Ukraine war.It is possible that,on their way home,they will reconnoiter around HM Naval Base Clyde in Faslane,Scotland,home of the UK'S ballistic missile submarine nuclear deterrent force.Additionally,a number of US Navy vessels have been making a series of port calls at HMNB Clyde for at least the past few months-mostly USN submarines,but also recently including the guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51).The aim of the visits is to assure strategic cooperation with the Royal Navy.* There has been concern within NATO that such Russian Navy task groups may be practising sabotage against the critical undersea telecommunications cables linking Europe to North America.These cables are essential for Internet traffic.There are dozens of the North Atlantic cables.European data is largely stored in data centers in the US.So these and other undersea cables have been referred to as the world's information system highway,conveying more than 95% of international data.They enable cost-effective,reliable communications supportive of global business.The cables provide high band width connections supporting financial transactions and scientific cooperation.They also support national security,as the US military uses these private assets to conduct its own operations.Even Russian surface warships could deploy submersibles to sabotage or tap into the undersea cables,let alone what their hunter killer submarines could do.The Russian Navy may be simulating attacks on the North Atlantic information highway.It may be possible for such adversaries as Russia and China to disrupt the NATO Alliance's network management systems.*

UK to Keep Nuclear Deterrent,Build New Ballistic Missile Submarines

The British House of Commons voted yesterday to preserve the UK's independent nuclear deterrent and take the necessary steps required to maintain its current posture by replacing the Vanguard-class submarine with four of the new Successor-class ballistic missile submarines.The Conservatives,led by new Prime Minister Theresa May,secured a strong majority vote of 472-117 to approve the motion.The UK will now proceed with the building of the new Trident II D5 missile submarines by the BAE Systems Barrow shipyard at a cost of 31 billion dollars with a contingency of an extra 10 billion over 35 years.It is one of the largest expenditures in the history of the UK,besides also being a project of great complexity and scale,involving hundreds of subcontractors in addition to prime BAE.*
Two parliamentary Strategic Defence and Security Reviews approved the Successor programme in 2010 and 2015.For her part,Mrs.May said it would be sheer madness to contemplate even for a moment giving up Britain's independent nuclear deterrent.We cannot abandon our ultimate safeguard out of misplaced idealism.That would be a reckless gamble,a gamble that would enfeeble our allies and embolden our enemies.The nuclear threat has not gone away.If anything,it has increased,the new Prime Minster pointed out,citing a newly assertive Russia and countries such as North Korea who are seeking nuclear weapons.We will not leave NATO and our European allies behind,Mrs.May promised.*
Construction of the Successor-class is to begin in late 2016,with the first of the four vessels entering service in 2028.A minimum of four submarines is required to sustain the continuous at sea deterrence (CASD) posture which Britain has today,according to the formula of,at any given time,one armed submarine being on patrol;one in maintenance;and two in port or on training manoeuvres.All UK ballistic missile and nuclear powered submarines are based at HM Naval Base Clyde in Faslane,Scotland,which is 25 miles/40 kilometers west of Glasgow.The base is secured by Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines.*
As a crucial element of their special relationship,the US and UK now coordinate both nuclear strategy and hardware.Both countries endorsed the Trident II D5 Service Life Extension Programme that extends the life of the missiles out to 2042.Both will also be installing a common 12-missile compartment in the Royal Navy Successor-class and the US Navy SSBN-X successor to the Ohio-class submarine.*
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