Russian Submarine Activity Has Picked Up in Atlantic, Navy 3-Star Says(Source military.com)

U.S. ships leaving the East Coast must now consider the Atlantic Ocean a contested battlespace, a Navy three-star said this week, as Russian activity continues to pick up just off the American coast.

Over the past two decades, Navy ships mainly sailed across the Atlantic on their way somewhere else. But the admiral in charge of a fleet that was resurrected to deter Russian aggression said U.S. military personnel now must be on their game in their country’s own backyard. The Atlantic is changing, Vice Adm. Andrew “Woody” Lewis, commander of U.S. Second Fleet, said at a Tuesday event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. It’s a battlespace that can’t be ignored, he added. “Our new reality is, when our sailors cross lines over and set sail, they can expect to be operating in a contested space once they leave Virginia,” Lewis said. “Our ships can no longer expect to operate in a safe haven on the East Coast, or merely cross the Atlantic unhindered to operate in another location. The U.S. military is seeing an “ever-increasing number of Russian submarines” deploying to the Atlantic, Lewis said. Their capabilities are also improving, he added, as the vessels stay out for longer periods and deploy with more lethal weapons systems.