Russian jets conduct 'aggressive' passes of US warship in Baltic Sea, defence official says

[Penguin]

It also says, in Sputnik News:

Let's run that scenario in reverse to highlight how "American exceptionalism" has become a chronic condition of irrational double-think. If a Russian warship was to approach the US coastline in similar fashion — even if theoretically in international waters — we can be sure that US fighters jets would be scrambled and forcefully deployed. The Russian ambassador would also probably be summoned in Washington.

http://sputniknews.com/columnists/20160416/1038129155/us-russia-su24-reaction.html

However, as we know from public sources,

Chinese Navy Ships Came Within 12 Nautical Miles of U.S. Coast
Vessels complied with international law, Pentagon officials say

Pentagon officials said late Thursday that the five Chinese navy ships had passed through U.S. territorial waters as they transited the Aleutian Islands, but said they had complied with international law and didn’t do anything threatening.

“This was a legal transit of U.S. territorial seas conducted in accordance with the Law of the Sea Convention,” said Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. Bill Urban.

U.S. officials said there was no known official communication to the U.S. from the ships.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese...sed-through-u-s-territorial-waters-1441350488
https://news.usni.org/2015/09/03/ch...age-through-u-s-territorial-waters-off-alaska
http://thediplomat.com/2015/09/confirmed-chinese-navy-entered-us-territorial-waters-off-alaska/

China Recalls Ships From US Waters After Joint Russian Naval Exercise

The presence of the ships within U.S. territorial waters, in and of itself, was not necessarily an act of aggression or violation of international law. An anonymous source told the Washington Post that naval vessels are allowed to cross through the territorial waters of other nations in what is referred to as “innocent passage.”
Retired Rear Admiral David Titley told the Washington Post that the presence of the Chinese ships was a clear signal of their intent to project power beyond the Bering Sea and into the arctic. Titley also indicated that, perhaps, the Pentagon intends to lead by example.

“This is how mature superpowers operate. You don’t go to general quarters every time there’s a ship operating legally,” Titley told the Washington Post, referencing China’s own vociferous objections to the presence of U.S. naval vessels in the South China Sea.

http://www.inquisitr.com/2395530/ch...us-waters-after-joint-russian-naval-exercise/

November 6th, 2012
03:05 PM ET

Navy detects Russian sub off U.S. East Coast
By Mike Mount

The U.S. Navy detected and tracked a Russian nuclear-powered attack submarine less than 300 miles from the southern U.S. East Coast last month, according to U.S. defense officials.

While the submarine did not enter U.S. territorial waters or follow any U.S. Navy ships, its arrival came while a Navy carrier strike group was training off Florida, according to defense officials who could not speak publicly because of the sensitivity of the issue.

The move by the Russians to put the ship close to the U.S. demonstrates its desire to ramp up deep-water patrolling by its submarine fleet - something the Russian government has said it would do, officials said.

The newer Sierra-2 submarine is thought to be part of the Russian Northern Fleet, and this is the first time this class of sub has been detected this close to the U.S., the officials said.

The sub was discovered about 275 miles off the southern East Coast in international waters about two weeks ago and has been followed by the Navy since, defense officials said. Officials said the sub did not come close to the major U.S. Navy submarine base at Kings Bay, Georgia, home to attack and ballistic missile submarines.

"Things worked the way they were supposed to," according to one of the officials when referencing how the Navy discovered the submarine.

While the officials would not disclose how the submarine was detected, the Navy has sensors in the air and water to detect and track such vessels.

The submarine has since turned back, and on Tuesday, it was about 600 miles off the U.S. coast heading eastward toward Europe, according to Navy officials.

It is not clear what the submarine was doing this close to the U.S., but officials say they assume it was conducting anti-submarine exercises, a return to a Cold War activity.

"They are doing what the U.S. does, patrolling and conducting exercises," one of the officials told Security Clearance.

The detection of the sub was first reported in the Washington Free Beacon.

The Sierra-2 is similar to the U.S. Los Angeles-class attack submarine and does not carry ballistic missiles - only torpedoes and other anti-submarine weapons.

The last time a Russian sub was detected close to the United States was in 2009, according to defense officials.

http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/06/navy-detects-russian-sub-off-u-s-east-coast/comment-page-1/

The Russian and United States militaries both played down the significance of two Russian attack submarines patrolling in international waters off the East Coast of the U.S., although the Pentagon confirmed Wednesday that it had been years since Russian subs had extended their reach into the region.

“It is the first time … in roughly a decade that we’ve seen this kind of behavior,” Defense Department Press Secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters.

Morrell said as long as the Russian vessels remained in international waters and behaved in a responsible way, they were free to do so.
“Have we had our submarines, our ships off the Russian coast from time to time? Sure. We operate in international waters freely, and they are entitled to do so as well.”

U.S. territorial waters extend 12 nautical miles from the shore.

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article...an-subs-east-coast-moscow-says-patrol-routine

Russia sending long-range bombers to patrol Gulf of Mexico near U.S. shores
November 13, 2014
Russia will be sending long-range bombers to patrol the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, escalating tensions between Washington and Moscow.

The flights will bring the Russian planes close to U.S. territorial waters and harkens back to a regular practice of the Cold War era when the country's aircraft regularly patrolled near the U.S. maritime border.

Russian officials said the patrols were necessary to maintain a military presence in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific, as well as the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.

Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, said while such patrols have occurred before, the U.S. expects the Russians to follow all international laws.

"The Russians have patrolled in the Gulf of Mexico in the past and we've seen the Russian Navy operate in the Gulf of Mexico," Warren told Fox News. "These are international waters. It's important that the Russians conduct their operations safely and in accordance with international standards."

http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2014/11/russia_sending_long-range_bomb.html