US Navy maintains carrier strike group within range of Syria

The Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Princeton (CG-59) and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS William P. Lawrence (DDG 110), USS Stockdale (DDG 106) and USS Shoup (DDG 86) are all on their way home. Escorts for USS Nimitz (CVN-68) comprising Carrier Strike Group 11 now include the cruiser USS San Jacinto (CG-56) and the destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87). CSG-11 is currently assigned to the Fifth Fleet NAVCENT area of responsibility.

As Syria crisis fades, U.S. ships remain within striking distance

Sailors from the aircraft carrier Nimitz participate in a search-and-rescue drill in the Red Sea last month. The ship is in its seventh month of deployment. (MC3 Raul Moreno Jr. / Navy)

The simmering Syrian crisis is driving fleet operations higher as a strike force of two flattops and 11 ships stand by in case the disarming of the Assad regime’s chemical weapons breaks down.

The Navy has amassed and maintained a considerable flotilla in the five weeks since the crisis first broke. The threat of imminent strikes brought Syria and its international partner, Russia, to the negotiating table and led to the present agreement, where United Nations weapons experts oversee the destruction of chemical weapons caches.

With the strikes no longer imminent, the Navy has sent home ships that had been close to the end of their deployment, while still leaving a sizable force nearby. Indeed, the crisis has ticked the fleet’s operations pace temporarily higher, with two carriers patrolling in or near 5th Fleet — a pace that has strained the fleet in recent years.

The aircraft carrier Nimitz is patrolling the Red Sea in its seventh month of deployment, while four of its escorts are headed home: the cruiser Princeton and destroyers William P. Lawrence, Stockdale and Shoup. Nimitz is now escorted by the cruiser San Jacinto and destroyer Mason, said a defense official, adding that the aircraft carrier’s deployment was extended “for the foreseeable future.”

Five ships — the destroyers Barry, Gravely, Ramage and Stout, and the amphibious transport dock San Antonio — remain in the Mediterranean.

The aircraft carrier Truman is patrolling the North Arabian Sea along with the cruiser Gettysburg and destroyer Bulkeley.

Big-deck amphibs are also in the region and ready. The amphibious assault ship Kearsarge — which has elements of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, as does the San Antonio — is in the Red Sea, and Boxer is expected to enter 5th Fleet this weekend.

http://www.navytimes.com/article/20131011/NEWS/310210003/As-Syria-crisis-fades-U-S-ships-remain-within-striking-distance

Russia moves cruiser ‘Moskva’ to Mediterranean, strengthens fleet off Syria

The ‘Moskva’ is an Atlant-class (Project 1164) guided missile cruiser first commissioned into the old Soviet Navy as the ‘Slava’ in 1983. After a lengthy refit (1990-2000) she was recommissioned into the Russian Navy as the ‘Moskva’.

Moving the ‘Moskva’ to waters off Syria follows moves that included dispatching destroyer ‘Smetlivy’ and the amphibious ship ‘Nicholas Phylchenkov’ to reinforce Russia’s Mediterranean squadron.

Ракетный крейсер “Москва” движется к группировке ВМФ в Средиземноморье

Планируется, что 17 сентября к составу постоянного оперативного соединения ВМФ присоединятся большой десантный корабль “Николай Фильченков” и сторожевой корабль “Сметливый”.

© РИА Новости. Григорий Сысоев | Купить иллюстрацию

МОСКВА, 11 сен — РИА Новости. Гвардейский ракетный крейсер “Москва” во вторник покинул пролив Гибралтар и движется в восточную часть Средиземноморья, где войдет в состав постоянного оперативного соединения Военно-морского флота (ВМФ) России, сообщила журналистам в среду в пресс-служба Минобороны РФ.

“Гвардейский ракетный крейсер “Москва” 10 сентября прошел пролив Гибралтар и в данный момент следует курсом в восточную часть Средиземного моря в район встречи с кораблями постоянного оперативного соединения”, — говорится в сообщении. Ожидается, что крейсер прибудет в район 17 сентября.

Также, планируется, что 17 сентября к составу постоянного оперативного соединения ВМФ присоединятся большой десантный корабль “Николай Фильченков” и сторожевой корабль “Сметливый”.

Как информирует ведомство, на данный момент постоянное оперативное соединение ВМФ России в Средиземном море включает в себя большие десантные корабли “Пересвет”, “Адмирал Невельской”, “Минск”, “Новочеркасск”, “Александр Шабалин”, большой противолодочный корабль “Адмирал Пантелеев” и сторожевой корабль “Неустрашимый”.

Корабли выполняют задачи по единому плану оперативного командования в дальней зоне, штаб которого дислоцирован на борту большого противолодочного корабля “Адмирал Пантелеев”.

Как развивается ситуация вокруг конфликта в Сирии

В среду президент США Барак Обама резко изменил политический курс, согласившись на предложение России попытаться передать сирийское химическое оружие под контроль международного сообщества и тем самым избежать военного удара США по этой стране. Теперь Обама готов подождать итогов расследования ООН относительно возможного применения химического оружия 21 августа и просит конгресс пока что не голосовать по вопросу о применении силы против Сирии.

© РИА Новости, Инфографика | Купить иллюстрацию

Russian Navy moves LPD to Syria

The Russian Navy is moving the LPD Nicholas Phylchenkov from the Black Sea Fleet to the Mediterranean where it will conduct operations off the coast of Syria. The Nicholas Phylchenkov is a Tapir class (Project 1171) ‘large landing ship’ that was commissioned into the Soviet Navy in 1975. The class can accommodate 20 main battle tanks, or 45 armoured personnel carriers, or 50 trucks and 300 troops.

БДК “Николай Фильченков” вышел из Новороссийска к берегам Сирии

Завтра корабль пройдет пролив Босфор, в пятницу – Дарданеллы, и в назначенное время присоединится к группировке ВМФ России, рассказал представитель ВМФ РФ.

© РИА Новости. Василий Батанов | Купить иллюстрацию

МОСКВА, 11 сен — РИА Новости. Большой десантный корабль Черноморского флота “Николай Фильченков” с грузом накануне вышел из Новороссийска и направился в восточную часть Средиземного моря, сообщил РИА Новости в среду высокопоставленный представитель ВМФ РФ.

В минувшую пятницу источник в бригаде десантных кораблей Черноморского флота (ЧФ) сообщал РИА Новости, что “Николай Фильченков” зайдет в порт Новороссийска для заправки топливом, а потом примет на борт грузы для Сирии. По его словам, этот поход нельзя считать каким-то особенным, так как экипаж корабля “ходил в Сирию десятки раз”.

“БДК “Николай Фильченков” 10 сентября с грузом на борту вышел из Новороссийска и взял курс на Средиземное море. Завтра корабль пройдет пролив Босфор, в пятницу — Дарданеллы, и в назначенное время присоединится к группировке ВМФ РФ”, — сказал представитель ВМФ РФ.

Во вторник высокопоставленный представитель ВМФ РФ сообщал РИА Новости, что сторожевой корабль Черноморского флота “Сметливый” выйдет из Севастополя и направится к берегам Сирии 12 сентября. По его данным, 17 сентября в район восточного средиземноморья прибудет ракетный крейсер “Москва”, а 29 сентября в район сирийского побережья прибудут два корабля ЧФ: ракетный катер “Ивановец” и малый ракетный корабль “Штиль”. В пятницу отряд кораблей, включающий БДК “Новочеркасск” (ЧФ) и “Минск” (Балтийский флот), а также разведывательный корабль “Приазовье” (ЧФ), прошел Дарданеллы и поступил в распоряжение командования средиземноморской эскадры.

http://ria.ru/arab_riot/20130911/962390366.html

Russia has no plans to expand Mediterranean Fleet

Honest. No plans. None whatsoever. Routine rotations… just routine rotations. Trust Volodya.

Russia Has No Plans to Expand Mediterranean Fleet – Source

MOSCOW, September 3 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s naval force in the Mediterranean Sea will not be expanded despite the worsening situation in the region, a military-diplomatic source in Moscow told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.

Russia Has No Plans to Expand Mediterranean Fleet – Source

“There have been no orders to expand anything there, and there will not be. The strength and type of forces that we have in the Mediterranean Sea today are sufficient to keep us fully informed about what is happening,” the source said.

He also confirmed local media reports Monday that the electronic intelligence ship Priazovye is being sent to the region, but explained that this is part of regular rotation within Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

“Yes, we want to know what is happening in this key region in which Russia has serious interests. We want to see and know what is happening there, what to prepare for in this region,” the source added.

He also said Russia’s existing flotillas in the Mediterranean Sea are undergoing routine rotations, and stressed “this is a regular rotation process, planned at the start of the year.”

“Our military presence in this region predates the Syrian conflict, and will continue after it, and so it would be wrong to draw any connection between the rotation of our ships in the Mediterranean region and events in Syria,” RIA Novosti’s anonymous source added.

Russia Has No Plans to Expand Mediterranean Fleet – Source

http://en.rian.ru/military_news/20130903/183134100/Russia-Has-No-Plans-to-Expand-Mediterranean-Fleet–Source.html

Taking the Syrian conflict to social media

REPORT: Bashar al-Assad desperately trying to reach Vladimir Putin on MySpace. #Syria

— Duffel Blog (@DuffelBlog) August 29, 2013

Israel submarine launched cruise missiles destroyed Syrian arms depot

At first glance, the Dolphin class appears to be a conventional Type 209 SSK with standard torpedo tubes, but the Dolphin also has oversized 650mm (26in) tubes that can launch the Popeye Turbo SLCM… and that seems to be sufficient to deal Assad’s regime a hefty blow 🙂

Israeli submarine responsible for July attack on Syrian arms depot – report

Israeli submarine “Dolphin” (AFP Photo / Gali Tibbon)

Israeli submarines carried out the attack on an arms depot in the Syrian port city of Latakia on July 5, according to a report published in the British Sunday Times. US media previously claimed the offensive was carried out by the Israel Air Force.

The Times cited Middle East intelligence sources as stating that the Israeli Dolphin-class submarines targeted a contingent of 50 Russian-made Yakhont P-800 anti-ship missiles that had reportedly arrived earlier this year to support Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime.

The alleged Israeli naval strike was repotedly closely coordinated with the US.

According to the newspaper, the Israeli fleet of German-built submarines launched a cruise missile at the weapons cache after which Syrian rebels reportedly attested to hearing early-morning explosions at a Syrian port-side naval barracks.

Syrian rebels said that they were not responsible for the explosions.

A spokesman for the Free Syrian Army’s Supreme Military Council, Qassem Saadeddine, confirmed the attack hit Syrian Navy barracks at Safira. He said the rebel forces’ intelligence network had identified the newly supplied Yakhont missiles being stored there.

According to the rebels, the scale of the blasts was beyond the firepower available to them, but consistent with that of a modern military like Israel’s.

“It was not the FSA that targeted this,” Saadeddine told Reuters. “It is not an attack that was carried out by rebels. This attack was either by air raid or long-range missiles fired from boats in the Mediterranean,” he added.

The pre-dawn attack was first reported by CNN.

A handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on May 5, 2013, allegedly shows, “the damage caused by an Israeli strike” according to SANA (AFP Photo)

Several unnamed US officials allegedly told The New York Times, in an article published on Saturday, that the Israeli Air Force had targeted the Russian-made anti-ship missiles that posed a threat to Israel’s naval forces.

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in the attack.

“We have set red lines in regards to our own interests, and we keep them. There is an attack here, an explosion there, various versions – in any event, in the Middle East it is usually we who are blamed for most,” Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said in response to the Latakia blasts.

The Syrian government has not commented on the incident either; a state television report mentioned a “series of explosions” at the site.

According to regional intelligence sources, cited by Reuters, the Israelis previously struck in Syria at least three times earlier this year to prevent the transfer of advanced weaponry from Assad’s army to Iranian-backed Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon.

In all prior cases of strikes thought to be linked to Israel’s armed forces, Israeli officials have not gone on record to take responsibility for the attacks. Tel Aviv has made it clear however, that the country is prepared to go into Syria if it means preventing Hezbollah or other militant groups from obtaining additional weaponry, including chemical weapons.

http://rt.com/news/israeli-submarine-%20strike-syria-081/