File this story under the rubric: Be careful what you wish for. When the U.S. guided missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG-75) departed Norfolk Naval Base to take up station at the Spanish naval base in Rota two months ago, it set off alarm bells in Moscow. Accusing the U.S. of attempting to set up a strategic offensive potential in Europe, Russian President Putin loudly condemned the move. U.S. officials calmly explained that the Cook, and its sister ships USS Ross (DDG-71), USS Carney (DDG-64), and USS Porter (DDG-78), were headed to Spain to set up a missile shield against the Iranian missile threat -- and posed no threat to Russia. But Russian State Duma foreign affairs committee Chairman Alexei Pushkov declared this explanation fake. In the Russians view, you see, the presence of a fleet of U.S. destroyers in Europe, armed with a version of the Aegis missile defense system tweaked to shoot down ballistic missiles, is a threat aimed squarely at Russias nuclear arsenal. Turns out, they were right about that.
Posted on: Sat, 12 Apr 2014 17:09:53 +0000
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