-Caveat Lector- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! Russia's Navy Showing Signs of Strength - Perhaps Due to Help from U.S. Secrets 14 June 2001 Analysis The Russian navy recently began trials of a third-generation Akula II-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, the Gepard, in the White Sea. Moscow has also deployed a Delta III nuclear missile submarine in the Pacific Ocean. Both vessels surprised Western intelligence. Russia is signaling renewed will to emerge as an important naval power. Successive Russian governments left the navy to rot in port. Now President Vladimir Putin's government is directing scant resources into construction and finds shipbuilding boosted by orders from abroad. Russia's ship program also appears to be aided by an unwitting suspect: the U.S. Navy. The Russian navy apparently has garnered significant technology that will make future submarines quieter and harder to detect. This technology appears to have come from espionage allegedly conducted by former FBI agent Robert Hanssen, according to intelligence sources. The U.S. Navy reportedly is investigating the extent to which its submarine program was penetrated. But Russia's navy still needs significant financial infusions in coming years to take part in global naval competition. This is an abbreviated report. For full text, graphics and access to the in-depth intelligence and research on our website, click here to become a member! The attack submarine Gepard was estimated to be five years behind schedule and was believed to be part of a body of evidence reflecting the Russian fleet's poor state. The Gepard, however, represents an important departure from recent shipbuilding trends. In some respects, the new sub is believed to be superior to the U.S. Navy's Los Angeles-class attack subs. Capable of moving as fast and as quietly, the Gepard reportedly can dive deeper than the American vessels and has more firepower. Russia's government has moved to boost military funding, with a significant portion going to the navy. But espionage may be helping the navy gain advanced capabilities quickly and on the cheap. In the wake of Hanssen's arrest, it appears Russian espionage may have compromised U.S. submarine secrets. Intelligence sources say the U.S. government is investigating how badly the American program was compromised. The investigation may focus on possible pilfering of quieting technologies. Russia is developing new naval technologies for the first time in years. Additionally, an increase in foreign orders is infusing much-needed dollars into Russia's shipbuilding industry. For example on March 5, the Baltic Plant Shipyard in St. Petersburg laid the keel for the first of three 4,000-ton frigates for the Indian navy, which is also awaiting delivery of an aircraft carrier. Some shipbuilding companies also are making new investments in research and development. Meanwhile, Russia is finishing a new naval doctrine aimed at eliminating supply and logistics problems and introducing more regular training, as well as preserving the structures of the Northern, Pacific, Baltic and Black Sea Fleets and the Caspian Sea flotilla. The roadmap calls for building new flagships over the next five years and total rearmament by 2020. For now, the state of the Russian navy remains dismal; only 40 percent to 60 percent of personnel can fulfill their assignments due to aging and often inoperable ships and equipment. But the Putin government is gambling that with enough money and technology it can rebuild Russian sea power. If Russia's navy fails, however, it will dwindle to fewer than 60 ships in a little more than decade. *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for nonprofit research and educational purposes only.[Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ] Want to be on our lists? Write at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for a menu of our lists! <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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