The Pentagon says it's not worried about a couple of Russian Akula-class attack submarines patrolling some 200 miles off the U.S. East Coast — that it raises no “red” flags at the moment. Fair enough — but the boats should still prompt long-term concern.
The nuclear-powered Akulas are designed to sink enemy ships and subs with torpedoes or super-fast cruise missiles. They may even be able to undertake some limited land attack missions as well. But generally, these Russian boats aren't particularly sexy. They're vintage 1980s — Maybe Moscow was hoping for a submarine version of “Cash for Clunkers”? They're also a bit noisy. It doesn't seem to have been a problem for U.S. forces to track them as they transited the North Atlantic to the waters off the southeastern United States. So far, so good. But let's dig a little deeper. First, there's international politics. The Russians are trying to exert themselves as a great power on the world stage. A little military muscle-flexing rarely fails to make an impression — and we're a prime target. Indeed, the “sharks” off our beaches mark the first Russian sub deployment to our neighborhood since just about the end of the Cold War.
