While we while away the summer musing on fantasy cabinets, someone has more daring fantasies up their sleeve. A report in Izvestia that Russia wants to station nuclear-armed Tu-160 bombers on Cuba has created much excitement in the Washington Post (now this would boost McCain) and, er, the U.S. Air Force:
Gen. Norton Schwartz, whose nomination to become the Air Force’s top military officer is being considered by the Senate, was asked at his confirmation hearing what he would advise if Russia were to proceed with such a plan. “I certainly would offer best military advice that we should engage the Russians not to pursue that approach,” Schwartz told the Senate Armed Services Committee. “And if they did, I think we should stand strong and indicate that that is something that crosses a threshold, crosses a red line for the United States of America.”
Russian Defense Ministry officials have tried to pour cold water on the report, saying the newspaper story was written under a false name and quoted a source at an organization that did not exist.
In case one was feeling cheated, Russia’s erstwhile top brass have been on excellent form:
“Russian strategic bombers have the right to use airfields in any country, including Cuba, if the leadership of that country does not object. Therefore, Gen Schwarz’ statement can only be described as inappropriate and childish,” Anatoliy Kornukov, former commander-in- chief of the Air-Force, told Interfax AVN on Wednesday. At the same time, A. Kornukov doubts that permanent presence of Russian strategic bombers in Cuba is expedient from the military point of view. “If one has in mind facilities on the territory of the USA, there is no need at all to base aircraft ‘under the Americans’ noses’, where they will be within the reach of conventional missiles. A Tu-160 can launch its ammunition when it is thousands of kilometres away from the set targets.”
That’s OK then. But no Russian bombardier would have U.S. targets in mind, surely? Certainly not Mikhail Oparin, former head of strategic air operations:
“First, no-one has said that our long-range aviation targets facilities on the territory of the USA. On the other hand, the existing Russian-American agreements on strategic arms do not bar Russia from stepping up the capabilities of its combat aviation systems.”
And why might you want to do that then?
“The use of airfields in Cuba as forward staging bases, or to base our refuelling aircraft to provide support to our strategic missile carriers, could substantially increase the capabilities of our combat systems in terms of reaching remote military-geographic areas,” Oparin said.
Areas like, I don’t know, darkest Peru? Oops, just being paranoid…
The president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, Col-Gen Leonid Ivashov, described Schwartz’s statement as blackmail of Russia. “Many American military men suffer from paranoia. They want to be in charge of the whole world and are trying to impose their conditions on everyone. As regards Russia, such blackmail – Mr Schwartz’ statement cannot be viewed in any other way – will not work.”
Who knows, this may be a step towards the apocalypse. Or maybe a generation of strategic air types in both Russia and the U.S. suddenly feel like they matter again after a few years of having to surrender the spotlight to those close air-support guys and helicopter pilots, traditionally some rungs down the ladder. Which is, of course, an excuse to recall what Clemenceau once said about war…
[Youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1KvgtEnABY&feature=related]
