Russia's Pacific Fleet to monitor U.S. exercises in Arctic

05.03.2009
Russia's Pacific Fleet will closely monitor the actions of U.S. submarines around Alaska during the ICEX 2009 exercises, an official from the headquarters of the Fleet told Ria Novosti.

The official added that any actions by foreign submarines in the immediate proximity of Russia's maritime borders warrants the utmost attention of the Russian Navy, especially since an incident involving a British submarine occurred during the previous ICEX 2007 exercises.

The U.S. Los Angeles-class submarines Helena and Annapolis are headed to the northern coast of Alaska for exercises in Arctic environment. The exercises will begin later in March, they will last two weeks, said Lt. j.g. Megan Issac, spokeswoman at Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, in Norfolk, Va. "Everything is based on the stability of the ice," she said.

During the ICEX 2007 exercises, in which the U.S. Navy submarine Alexandria and British sub Tireless took part, two British sailors were killed and one injured in an explosion on the Tireless. The Royal Navy will not send a warship to the coming exercises, but Royal Navy officers will be working in an Arctic post.

The Arctic has become a region of heightened interest from Russia, the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, and other powers with an eye on that polar region. The U.S., Canada, China, Germany, and Sweden have all announced plans to build fleets of ice-breakers. Global warming is reducing the Arctic's ice cover, opening up new maritime space, as well as access to natural resources, including oil and gas. Mikhail Nikolaev, the deputy chairman of the Russian Federation Council, recently called for the creation of a parliament entirely devoted to defining the Arctic's status and control over the development of new territories.

Picture: Tireless at the ICEX 2007 exercises (royalnavy.mod.uk)