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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Russian task force makes Syrian port call |
| 2006-02-23 |
| Russian missile cruiser Moskva - on a NATO exercise - docked at Syrian Latakia port on Feb. 21 A task force led by the Moskva and the Azov landing ship became the first Russian naval force in a decade to call at a Syrian port. DEBKAfile’s military sources report: The force sailed out of its home port of Sevastopol on the Black Sea, on Feb. 5, to join a NATO-led anti-terrorist operation in the Mediterranean for a combined three-month drill focusing on combating the smuggling of weapons of mass destruction, illegal weapons trade and migration. The drill is named The Active Endeavors Operation. NATO leaders and US army chiefs were keen enough on Russian participation for NATO secretary general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer to promise the gesture of the first visit by an alliance chief aboard the Moskva. However, neither he nor the Americans taking part in the exercise had any idea that the Russian naval force intended to break away from the exercise long enough to put in at a Syrian port – a call which Syrian president Bashar Assad took as a gesture of support from Moscow. The visit underlined the Kremlin’s plan to play a larger part in the military affairs of the Middle East, largely by making friendly overtures to America’s adversaries. President Vladimir Putin’s invitation to discuss arms sales in Moscow with an invited Hamas delegation was part of this picture. ... On Feb. 15, in the course of the NATO drill, the Moskva captured the British destroyer the Nottingham when it played the part of the enemy. The Russian cruiser also seized the Spanish frigate Navarro. Is it just me, or is this a little too ironic? |
| Posted by:RWV |
| #7 NATO should scorn the Moskva, after it leaves port by forbiding it's rejoining the exercise for breaking rank, and deployment protocols. Let her set sail for home with egg on her face! |
| Posted by: smn 2006-02-23 21:34 |
| #6 As I recall the Moskva was originally designed to take on surface task forces and as an anti submarine platform. Russians do not envisage multiple roles for their Navyal vessels the way just about every other navy does. I doubt she would have the capabilities to launch an SSM for an interdiction strike. Just anti ship and anti sub missions. |
| Posted by: badanov 2006-02-23 18:26 |
| #5 Russian Spetsnaz in mufti, and scientists loading up Saddam's WMD cache before Bashar gets bashed would be my guess. My thoughts exactly... |
| Posted by: DanNY 2006-02-23 15:09 |
| #4 the Moskva captured the British destroyer the Nottingham Boarding parties? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-02-23 12:46 |
| #3 Russian Spetsnaz in mufti, and scientists loading up Saddam's WMD cache before Bashar gets bashed would be my guess. |
| Posted by: Visitor 2006-02-23 12:44 |
| #2 Docked just long enough to bring aboard takeout kabobs, the Hariri detonators, and detailed topo maps of the Bekaa valley with lots of red X's on them... |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2006-02-23 12:23 |
| #1 I took part in similar exercies in the Balck Sea back in '96. It sounded very impressive on paper but in reality it was a big joke. They were extremely incompetent and it was pretty much the USN advisor onboard that told them how to do everything. They couldn't even do a simple VERTREP. Thay also ran out of fuel and we had to by more, via the US embassy, from Romania for them to get back home. Take this with a HUGE grain of salt. |
| Posted by: Yosemite Sam 2006-02-23 12:11 |