26.6.19

Russia Taunts U.S. In Cuba

Opposing Warships Eyeing Each Other!!
         This Associated Press/Ramon Espinosa photo shows Russia's ultra-modern warship The Admiral Gorshkov entering Havana Harbor yesterday -- Tuesday, June 25th, 2019. For some, it harkens chillingly back to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis because U. S. President Trump has apparently given Counter Revolutionary extremists in Miami the go-ahead not only to reverse all of President Obama's normalization advances towards Cuba but to actually recapture the island. Russia, a military Superpower, might challenge that.
     The Admiral Gorshkov-454 is the pride and joy of the Russian navy and represents a new class of surface warships to buttress Russia's powerful submarine fleet. It carried 210 sailors into Havana as curious Cubans watched in awe. The Admiral carries advanced cruise missiles as well as a variety of anti-ship and land-attack missiles. Also, it reportedly has a deadly defense system the Russians call "deference." Its top speed is 29 knots. Ben Werner, the top writer at USNI News, said, "The Admiral Gorshkov is ultra-modern and it parallels the capabilities of modern U. S. and allied surface combatants."
    This Cuban woman was using her Smart Phone to video-tape the Admiral Gorshkov cruising into Havana Harbor. The surprise visit instantly was a hit on social media now that most Cubans are quite tuned to the Internet. A typical Cuban post was the one that said: "We Cubans who will stay here no matter what Miami and Washington have in store for us hope there is no war, but the Title 3-Helms Burton sanctions and the Miami courts now being allowed by Trump to sue everybody who has a relation with Cuba, leaves us no choice. We either starve or we fight this time, and maybe Russia's best warship gives us hope."
     For sure, Russian President Vladimir Putin is sending a message to the U. S. indicating his displeasure with "Trump trying to bring Cuba, after all these years, to its knees and then allow his political buddies in Miami to feast on the spoils." Indeed, Admiral Gorshkov-454 is Putin's personal toy and sailing it into the USA's backdoor might be a bit intimidating. Cuba welcomed the warship with a 21-gun salute as it entered Havana Harbor.
     This is the USS Jason Dunham. According to USNI News and its top writer Ben Werner, this is the U. S. warship that is in the waters 40 miles out from Key West, Florida, which puts it close enough to monitor the total of four Russian warships docked in Havana, three of which support Admiral Gorshkov's ubiquitous presence.
   President Trump has respect for President Putin's military arsenal, and well he should. While Trump perhaps can avoid the simmering war against strong but non-nuclear Iran in the Middle East, he surely needs to avoid tangling with Putin's nuclear capability...especially in the Caribbean or Latin America.
     This is Russia's TU-160 nuclear bomber that is code-named "Blackjack" by NATO allies who respect its power. When two TU-160s landed in Venezuela and caused an uproar at Maiquetia Airport outside Caracas, it quickly and sharply altered the military dynamics in that oil-rich but starkly troubled Latin American nation, which otherwise was expected to have a U.S.-friendly leader by now that would have replaced the Cuba-friendly Nicolas Maduro. At the moment, it's up to Trump to decide if Putin will allow U.S.-backed regime-changes in Cuba or in Venezuela...or is Putin bluffing?
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