The Russian Navy's frigate Admiral Grigorovich sails in the Bosphorus on its way to the Mediterranean Sea, in Istanbul, Turkey, November 4, 2016. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo
Reuters: Russian naval activity in Europe exceeds Cold War levels: U.S. admiral
Recent Russian naval activity in Europe exceeds levels seen during the Cold War, a top U.S. and NATO military officer said, voicing concern that the distributed nature of the deployments could end up "splitting and distracting" the transatlantic alliance.
Navy Admiral Michelle Howard, who heads NATO's Allied Joint Force Command in Naples and commands U.S. naval forces in Europe and Africa, said Russia had clearly stepped up its naval actions in recent years although the size of its navy was smaller now than during the Cold War era.
"We're seeing activity that we didn't even see when it was the Soviet Union. It's precedential activity," Howard told Reuters in an interview late on Saturday during a missile defense conference.
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Update #1: Russia’s submarine patrols reach levels last seen during Cold War (The Independent)
Update #2: Russian Subs Are on Patrol Like It's the Cold War All Over Again (Popular Mechanics)
WNU Editor: I am skeptical of the above Reuters report. I was around during the Cold War .... it was intense everywhere (including on the high seas) .... and I just do not see those same levels today. Case in point .... after Thursday's US strikes on Syria, the Russians responded by sending only one warship .... Russian warship steams toward US destroyers that launched Syria strikes (FOX News). During the Cold War they would have responded with far greater force. But I guess with what is happening in Syria, Ukraine, and elsewhere .... everyone is becoming nervous, and are expecting the worse .... US and Russia haven’t been this close to a clash since the Cold War (Leonid Bershidsky, New York Post).
