On paper, the two most powerful naval forces in the world, by a long shot, are the United States and Russia (North Korea, China, and Iran are some of the most notable potential naval threats).
But, an analysis of the Russian navy suggests that a large share of its ships are broken or seriously outdated, and that the pace of operations for the ships that they have is very light. For example, the analysis claims that less than half of Russian Navy ships are operational, compared to 85% of U.S. Navy ships. North Korea's navy suffers similar issues.
In other naval news, the United States Navy has decided to rename the Littoral Combat Ship as a "Frigate", now the last of the Oliver Hazard class of frigates has ended its active duty service in the Navy, in an effort to honor "naval traditions."
Another issue is that Ukraine was a crucial source of parts for new and used Russian naval ships and submarines, and it is now unwilling to trade with the Russian government that is invading it. Western European NATO members are also unlikely to do military contracting business that supplies the Russian navy given its recent exploits in the Ukraine and the implied threat that it might overstep its bounds elsewhere.
ReplyDelete