Classical Values :: Sinking The Russian Fleet

July 18, 2009

Sinking The Russian Fleet

The Russian Fleet is in dire straits. In ten years it may no longer (for practical purposes) exist.

The NVO report does not pull any punches: "The Russian Navy is on the verge of irreversible collapse. Within ten years there will be in the entire navy less than 50 vessels still capable of operations, which would be a number not even the size of one of our 'lesser fleets' like the Baltic Fleet or the Black Sea Fleet."

The report rates the navy's situation as the worst in almost a century and concludes "this present catastrophe is comparable to what happened in the course of the [post-1917 Bolshevik Revolution] Civil War years when the fleet was left in ruins. If during the oil and gas boom of the 2000s the Russian Navy received practically no funding, now today during a period of difficult [economic] crisis the fleet will--without a doubt--have to die within the next few years. This is not merely a possibility, it is a fact."

Those warships still left in useable condition have seen their level of operations scaled back in order to preserve their service life. This is particularly true in the case of the submarine fleet, which has seen its Cold War high tempo of patrols drop off to almost nothing. Last November's joint naval exercises with the Venezuelan Navy off the coast of South America amounted to a little more than symbolic participation by only four Russian vessels that made the trans-Atlantic crossing.

The end of the Russian Navy will mean their further decline as a super power. There is nothing like 70 years of socialist/communist mismanagement to run a country with abundant physical and human capital into the ground.

And going in the opposite direction is the US Navy. If the US Navy's investment in Polywell Fusion pays off it will mean much lower operational costs for the US Fleet (much lower oil consumption). Such an advance will leave the rest of the competing navies of the world in the dust. We Will Know In Two Years. I'm optimistic.

The American Thinker has a good article up on the Polywell Fusion Reactor with the basics.

Why hasn't Polywell Fusion been fully funded by the Obama administration?

Cross Posted at Power and Control

posted by Simon on 07.18.09 at 05:25 PM

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Comments

Greetings:

I think that that should be "dire straits", straits being a nautical term for a small body of water between two land masses.

11B40 · July 18, 2009 07:15 PM

11B40,

Thanks! I'll fix it.

M. Simon · July 18, 2009 07:42 PM

"The end of the Russian Navy will mean their further decline as a super power. "

Depends on what is considered a super power in a few decades. For sure the Russians have figured out that a big navy for them is a waste of money (unlike us, they have seen that defense of Carrier groups is too expensive and most likely won't work anyway) and that space and a huge missile stockpile and defense is money better spent. Obama doesn't seem to agree but previous presidents have.

China is going to the moon and Russia could do it in a few years, while the U.S. may never set foot on it again if Obama and his backers have any say on it. NASA has too many internal problems to do it, maybe our Private Civilian Space Corporations could, but I'm sure the Federal Government would not allow that to happen.

Oh well, It makes little difference, as the Islamics will have taken control of the world by then anyway.

Papa Ray
West Texas

Imagine a m

Papa Ray · July 18, 2009 09:37 PM

Considering Russia's ongoing demographic free-fall, one wonders how many able-bodied sailors they will have to crew their ships anyway.

Joshua · July 19, 2009 02:42 PM

Russia has always been a continental power, not a naval one. This is an appropriate place for them to save money.

Fritz · July 19, 2009 05:14 PM

"Why hasn't Polywell Fusion been fully funded by the Obama administration?"

Easy, it's nuclear fusion. To those brainwashed by "NUCLEAR BAD!" dogma of the rabid, foaming at the mouth greenies, nuclear fusion is as bad as nuclear fission, regardless of the fact(s).

Other than that, energy independence is good for everyone else, except America. Guilt over energy usage is to be our "sin" in the great Church of Environmentalism.

Duncan Idaho · July 20, 2009 04:34 AM