Two anti-submarine strike groups of the Russian Navy were formed in Kamchatka. This was reported by the press service of the Pacific Fleet (Pacific Fleet).
“Two naval anti-submarine strike groups were formed in the connection of the ships guarding the water area of troops and forces in northeastern Russia after the successful completion of combat missions at sea with practical firing from all types of ship weapons,” the Navy’s operational strategic association said in a statement.
It is reported that these groups will be entrusted with “the tasks of protecting maritime communications, search and detection of the probable enemy’s underwater forces, patrolling in the designated area, displaying the flag of the Russian Federation”, as well as “studying distant navigation areas”.
According to experts, anti-submarine strike groups consist of surface ships that are designed to search for and destroy enemy submarines. This group usually includes from 2 to 4 anti-submarine ships of special construction, destroyers, frigates, patrol ships. To increase the combat stability of the formation, ships may have anti-aircraft or missile weapons.
As military expert Ivan Konovalov noted, usually anti-submarine groups consist of large and small anti-submarine ships with the support of aviation, primarily helicopter. However, according to the analyst, it is “not possible” to predict the composition of these groups with high accuracy.
“Given that Russia is now seeking and using new approaches in various segments of the military-industrial complex, anti-submarine groups can be formed in very unexpected ways,” the expert said in an interview with RT.
According to Konovalov, most often ships included in such groups are equipped with radar and sonar systems, as well as rocket-propelled bomb installations and torpedo tubes.
In turn, the doctor of military sciences, retired 1st-rank captain Konstantin Sivkov emphasized that the ships of the anti-submarine attack groups of the Navy, in the event of detection of a likely enemy submarine, have such combat capabilities that are guaranteed to destroy it.
“However, in peacetime, as a rule, first of all, lengthy surveillance of such objects is carried out,” the expert explained in a conversation with RT.
"Part of the defense"
According to experts, the formation of anti-submarine strike groups of the Navy is "an important component of the overall security system in Kamchatka."
According to Konstantin Sivkov, these groups can solve many combat missions in the region.
“One of them is ensuring the security of missile submarines that are deployed at the Kamchatka naval base. After all, foreign submarines are everywhere, they can impede the actions of the Russian armed forces. Anti-submarine strike groups of the Russian Navy can protect merchant ships or carry out reconnaissance activities in the remote expanses of the ocean, ”said Konstantin Sivkov.
As part of the defense of the Kamchatka borders, the Pacific Fleet also regularly conducts military exercises. In particular, at the beginning of March and the end of February, small anti-submarine ships carried out artillery fire on coastal targets in Kamchatka.
Aviation also takes an active part in the development of maneuvers in this zone - there are flying tactical exercises of the fighter squadron, intercepting aircraft of potential opponents.
- Marines of the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Federation
- RIA News
- © Vitaliy Ankov
To ensure the security of the region, in November 2019, the Russian Navy transferred the diesel-electric submarine Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky of project 636.3. She is the first in a series of six such ships under construction for the Pacific Fleet.
Recall, the contract for the construction of a series of six submarines of project 636.3 for the Pacific Fleet was signed by the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Admiralty Shipyards plant in September 2016.
In 2020, the Pacific Fleet will also receive the atomic submarine of project 885M Novosibirsk.
Earlier, in February 2017, the Russian Ministry of Defense deployed the first battery of the latest Bastion supersonic coastal missile systems (DBK) in Kamchatka to protect strategic missile submarines from ships of a potential enemy.
Border security
As analysts emphasize, such defensive measures by the Russian side to strengthen the level of security in Kamchatka "are of particular relevance in view of the growing US military presence in the region."
So, on January 12, the elite military units of the United States and Japan conducted a parachute landing exercise. This was reported on the official Facebook page of the US Army in Japan. Maneuvers took place at the Narasino training ground (Chiba Prefecture, which borders Tokyo Prefecture).
According to local media, the training scenario involved an imitation of an operation on a remote island in the East China Sea, captured by a conditional enemy.
The 1st parachute landing brigade of the Japanese ground forces numbering about 2 thousand people and units of American special forces deployed from the southern island of Okinawa took part in the exercises.
In addition, at the end of August 2019, the U.S. Department of Defense's Department for Defense Cooperation and Security announced that Washington wants to sell Japan 73 interceptor missiles for $ 3.29 billion. The agency then noted that this deal was intended to strengthen national security The United States by increasing the defense capabilities of the "major ally" in the Asia-Pacific region.
According to Konovalov, the United States is deliberately expanding its presence in the Asia-Pacific region to create additional tension there.
“APR is a zone of interests of the United States. Moreover, according to Washington, it also includes the Sea of Okhotsk and Kamchatka. And Japan in this context acts as a large floating military base for the American side, ”the analyst believes.
Military expert, retired colonel Viktor Litovkin, in turn, noted that the formation of anti-submarine strike groups of the Navy will help to some extent offset the negative consequences of the expansion of the US military presence in the Asia-Pacific region. The analyst also added that this is an effective measure to protect the borders of the Russian Federation from potential opponents.
“Formed anti-submarine strike groups of the Navy will strengthen the security of Russia's borders in Kamchatka. These groups will help the Russian side to successfully guard their borders and prevent possible provocations, ”the expert concluded.