Modern Russian Navy
TAVKR "Admiral Kuznetsov".
The
dissolution of the Soviet Union led to a severe decline in the Russian Navy. Defense expenditure was severely reduced. Many ships were scrapped or laid up as accommodation ships at naval bases, and the building program was essentially stopped. However
Sergey Gorshkov's buildup during the Soviet period had emphasised ships over support facilities, and Gorshkov had also retained ships in service that were beyond their effective lifetimes, so a reduction was due anyway.
[14] What made matters worse was the impractical variety of vessels which the Soviet
military-industrial complex, with the support of the leadership, forced on the navy - taking modifications into account, the Soviet Navy in the mid-1980s had nearly 250 different ship types.
[15] The
Kiev class aircraft carrying cruisers and many other ships were prematurely retired, and the incomplete
Admiral Kuznetsov class aircraft carrier Varyag was eventually sold to the
People's Republic of China. Funds were only allocated for the completion of ships ordered prior to the collapse of the USSR, as well as for refits and repairs on fleet ships taken out of service since. However, the construction times for these ships tended to stretch out extensively: in 2003 it was reported that the Akula class SSN
Nerpa had been under construction for fifteen years.
[16] Storage of decommissioned nuclear submarines in ports such as
Murmansk became a significant issue, with the
Bellona Foundation reporting details of lowered readiness. Naval bases outside Russia, such as
Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam, were gradually closed, with the exception of the bases in the
Crimea, leased from
Ukraine to support the
Black Sea Fleet, and the modest technical support base in Tartus, Syria to support ships deployed to the Mediterranean. Naval Aviation declined as well from its height as
Soviet Naval Aviation, dropping from an estimated 60,000 personnel with some 1,100 combat aircraft in 1992 to 35,000 personnel with around 270 combat aircraft in 2006.
[17] In 2002, out of 584 naval aviation crews only 156 were combat ready, and 77 ready for night flying. Average annual flying time was 21.7 hours, compared to 24 hours in 1999.
[18] However since 2002 these figures may have improved[
citation needed].
Training and readiness also suffered severely. In 1995 only two missile submarines at a time were being maintained on station, from the Northern and Pacific Fleets.
[19] The decline culminated in the loss of the Oscar II class
Kursk submarine during the Northern Fleet summer exercise that was intended to back up the publication of a new naval doctrine.
[20] The exercise, involving some 30 submarines and surface ships, was to have culminated with the deployment of the
Admiral Kuznetsov task group to the Mediterranean.
As of 2006, The Russian Navy has 50 nuclear submarines with only 26 operational compared to 170 vessels in 1991. The Navy plans to reduce the number to 20 submarines, including ten strategic missile submarines and ten multi-purpose (attack) submarines, according to unofficial reports.
[21]
s of February 2008, The Russian Navy had 44 nuclear submarines with 24 operational; 19 diesel-electric submarines - 16 operational; and 56 first and second rank surface combatants - 37 operational.
[22] Despite this improvement, the November
2008 accident on board the Akula-class attack boat
Nerpa during sea trials before lease to India represents a concern for the future.
[23]
In 2009, Admiral Popov (Ret.), former commander of the
Russian Northern Fleet, said that the Russian Navy will greatly decline in combat capabilities by 2015 if the current rate of new ship construction remains unchanged, due to the retirement of ocean going ships.
[24]
In 2012
President Vladimir Putin announced a plan to build 51 modern ships and 24 submarines by 2020.
[25] Of the 24 submarines, 16 will be nuclear-powered.
[26] The Russian Navy finally accepted its first new Borei class SSBN (Yury Dolgoruky) for service last December 30. A second Borei (Aleksandr Nevsky) is undergoing sea trials and is expected to enter service in the summer of 2013. A third Borei class boat (Vladimir Monomakh) has been launched and is just beginning trials in early 2013, and should be commissioned in 2014.
), Jordan( Stable Ally), Iraq(Iran taking control/Genocide/ Full Scale Civil War), they are all at stake. The Balkans seem ripe for a flare up a well. DU is obviously really bad but they have to use it on hard targets now. It's not nearly as dangerous as gas based chemical weapons especially for civilians.
