USS Harry S. Truman on patrol for Russian subs

DocV sends us a link from USNI which reports that the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) has left the Mediterranean Sea and entered the North Atlantic on patrol for Russian attack submarines;

In terms of great power competition, there is growing evidence that Russia continues to push its newest attack submarines to operate the North Atlantic at a pace not seen since the Cold War, Navy leaders have continued to stress publicly.

“Russian submarines are prowling the Atlantic, testing our defenses, confronting our command of the seas, and preparing the complex underwater battlespace to give them an edge in any future conflict,” current U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa commander Adm. James Foggo wrote in U.S. Naval Institute’s Proceedings in 2016.
“Not only have Russia’s actions and capabilities increased in alarming and confrontational ways, its national-security policy is aimed at challenging the United States and its NATO allies and partners.”

The escort fleet includes at least six guided missile destroyers and the German guided missile frigate FGS Hessen.

[Bryan Clark, a senior fellow at CSBA] said the U.S. [destroyers] are equipped with an effective anti-submarine warfare packages that work well in the Atlantic but aren’t typically deployed there.

“You have to make a special effort to put them there,” he said.

USNI claims that the Truman’s mission will last several months.

Category: Politics