International security

Run silent, run scared? US Navy alarmed by ‘effective, advanced’ Russian subs

New, silent, and deadly Russian submarines are challenging NATO’s maritime dominance, says a senior US admiral who calls the current situation a “Battle of the Atlantic,” comparing it to the Cold War and the two World Wars.

“Once again, an effective, skilled, and technologically advanced Russian submarine force is challenging us,” Vice Admiral James Foggo III, commander of the US 6th Fleet, wrote in the June issue of the US Naval Institute’s magazine, Proceedings. “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.” 

In the article, which was co-authored with naval analyst Alarik Fritz, Foggo argued that a “Fourth Battle of the Atlantic” is underway, comparing the present-day situation to Cold War tensions between NATO and the Soviet Union, as well as the Anglo-American battles with German submarines during the two World Wars.