USSRRussia to use Cuban and Venezuelan air bases
The price of liberty is eternal vigilance.
Russia could use bases for its strategic bombers on the doorstep of the United States in Cuba and Venezuela to underpin long-distance patrols in the region, a senior air force officer said Saturday.
"This is possible in Cuba," General Anatoly Zhikharev, chief of the Russian air force's strategic aviation staff, told the Interfax-AVN military news agency.
The comments were the latest signal that Moscow intends to project its military capability in far-flung corners of the globe despite a tight defence budget and hardware that experts consider in many respects outdated.
Zhikharev indicated that Russia was looking only at occasional use of the facilities -- not setting up permanent bases in the region.
He noted that the Venezuelan constitution prohibited establishment of military bases of foreign states on Venezuelan territory and described the Russian possibile use of the facility there as "we land, we complete the flight, we take off."
Zhikharev said Cuba had a several air bases equipped with the long runways needed by the heavy bombers and said the facilities there were "entirely acceptable" for use by the Russian aircraft during long-distance patrols.
"If the will of the two states is there, the political will, then we are prepared to fly there" to the bases in Cuba, the agency quoted Zhikharev as saying.
The general also said that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had offered to let Russian strategic bombers use a military airfield on La Orchila island, a military base off the west coast of the country.
"Yes, there has been such a proposal from the Venezuelan president," Zhikharev said.
"If a relevant political decision is made, this is possible," he added.
Russia resumed patrols by its long-distance strategic bombers in August 2007 after a 15-year hiatus, noting at the time that it was mirroring the United States which never suspended its global bomber patrols after the Cold War.
Last year, Russia temporarily based a pair of Tu-160 bombers at an airbase in Venezuela in a carefully-choreographed display of force regarded by as a warning message to the United States.
A Russian flotilla led by the nuclear-powered cruiser Peter the Great also joined Venezuelan navy vessels for manoeuvres in the Caribbean late last year, timed to coincide with a visit to the region by President Dmitry Medvedev.
The previous US administration of George W. Bush officially shrugged off the Russian aviation and naval moves in Latin America, characterising them as more for show than anything representing a military worry for the United States.
Last July however, a top US air force officer warned that Russia would cross "a red line" if it were to base nuclear capable bombers in Cuba.
"If they did, I think we should stand strong and indicate that is something that crosses a threshold, crosses a red line for the United States of America," said General Norton Schwartz said on July 23.
The Interfax report said there were three types of Russian aircraft capable of long-distance bomber patrols: The Tu-95MS, the Tu-160 and the Tu-22.
It was Tu-160 strategic bombers that were sent to Venezuela for temporary basing last year. Each aircraft of this type is capable of carrying 12 cruise missiles that can be fitted with nuclear warheads.
Strangely it is not in Russia's interest for the U.S. to turn communist for that if it ever were to happend would make the U.S. the top dog. The Russians they would prefer to destroy this great country ...
Time for the Castros to go.
Well.... here we go again with a return of the Cold War and an anti-American Marxist bullshit artist in charge of the White House.
If you all though that we had enough problems with all these economic issues wait until the foreign policies fumbles of the "Messiah" are added to the list of troubles we're facing.
This is only the beginning as it is going to be some very rough four years for America.
President Obama, are you listening?
Four?
How about eight?
Well, everyone thought that about Bill Clinton until the 1994 elections. Listening, Michael Steele?
Luis,
Thirty years ago I believed that 8 years of a Jimmy Carter presidency would have been disastrous for America and I was proven right.
Today I believe that the United States of America may not survive 8 years of a Barack Hussein Obama presidency.
We only had 8 weeks of this President and we can begin to view the abyss where he’s taking this country.
Pray that is only 4 years, otherwise you’ll remember this post.
I'm praying that it isn't eight.
I will say that Obama is one HELL of a politician however.
He's made me do something I thought would be impossible for ANYONE to do.
He's making me miss Bill Clinton.
Luis - you're not alone. Even Emmett Tyrell misses Bill Clinton:
http://www.creators.com/opinion/r-emmett-tyrrell.html
Missing Clinton?? Not so fast: Via the Mrs., Obie has dissed Israel, humiliated the UK, promised around $900 million to rebuild Hamas' infrastructure, and assured the Chikoms that they can count on US business, don't worry about the human right crap.
For his part, BillyBob has been nothing short of a slobbering guataca in his public statements about Obie since the election, on all topics. Just read them or get some videoclips; he's fully signed up with the rest of the zombies giving BHO a pass.
If Clinton was teflon in his 8 years, it's safe to assume that, with 3 months into his gig, Obie is nuclear-proof.
Russians in Cuba? This POS is liable to offer the commies the runways of Miami International!
Omar Fernandez
http://www.cubanazos.com
Russians in Cuba? I wouldn't be surprised if this POS offers the commies the runways at Miami International in a gesture of one-upmanship!
Omar
Cubanazos.com
A permanent Russian air base in the Western Hemisphere of planes capable of carrying nuclear weapons is a violation of the Kennedy-Khrushchev Understanding of 1962. This secret agreement has never been abrogated and is still in effect. I believe that the Russians will not make such a radical move and they will keep the status quo.
Tony delaCova is correct. The way I see it, if Russia decides to base nuclear weapons in Cuba, all US forbearance for the Castro brothers is gone.
Theoretically (but I doubt this will happen) a fleet of US drones loaded with Hellfire missoles could be on its way to Cuba to take out the communist leadership.
Delacova/Larry,
What I’m afraid is that President Obama may not enforce the Kennedy-Khrushchev Understanding of 1962 if Putin goes ahead and makes his move.
Any U.S. Pres. since and including JFK--had he gotten the itch-- could have declaredd the Kennedy-Kruschev swindle null and void. The deal included a UN inspection of Cuba to assure the missiles were gone. But Castro refused admittance to these inspectors.
Not that I think the missiles remained. Nikita yanked them--not because of JFK's bogus bluster, but because he feared that the Castros or Che might get near the buttons!
"If the missiles had remained we would have fired them at the heart of the U.S." Che Guevara to David Russell of the London Daily Worker, Nov. 1962.