Thursday, November 13, 2014
Russia pushing the boundaries
Third Australian warship sent to halt Russian flotilla bound for G20 in Brisbane
A THIRD Australian warship has been dispatched to intercept a Russian flotilla steaming towards the G20 summit in Brisbane and a fourth navy vessel is ready to divert to the area.
The replenishment ship HMAS Sirius is heading into the Coral Sea to support the frigates HMAS Parramatta and HMAS Stuart and the frigate HMAS Sydney is preparing to divert from an exercise in New Zealand to join the mission, according to a government source.
Both Parramatta and Stuart are understood to be carrying Seahawk anti-submarine warfare helicopters, although defence sources said it was unlikely that a Russian submarine is in the area.
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News Corp Australia understands that the government also asked the Navy about the possibility of a Collins Class submarine joining the mission but was told that the nearest boat was in Perth and would not be able to reach the area until well after the G20 summit was over.
Three RAAF AP-3C Orion maritime surveillance aircraft, also equipped for anti-submarine warfare, have been sent to Amberley near Brisbane and are maintaining a 24/7 patrol above the flotilla, according to official sources.
The Russian task group is steaming southwest in the Coral Sea off Townsville at 15 knots and is due to arrive in international waters off the G20 venue on Saturday November 15. The ships will be off Rockhampton on Friday.
While Australian officials have played down the presence of the flotilla led by the Russian Pacific Fleet flagship the cruiser Varyag, frantic efforts have been underway in Moscow to establish the intention of the fleet, according to a government source.
It is understood that the Australian Defence Attache in the Russian capital has advised senior Russian military officers that the ships would be refused port access in Brisbane unless there was an emergency.
The National Security Committee of Cabinet is not scheduled to meet ahead of the weekend G20 conference but according to insiders the lines have been “running hot”.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott threatened to “shirt-front” Mr Putin over Russia’s role in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 and the deaths of 38 Australian residents.
The unpredictable Russian strongman will arrive in Brisbane for the summit on Friday and is expecting a hostile reception.
Military fellow at the Lowy Institute James Brown said it made sense to have Russian warships nearby.
“If something did happen it helps to have military forces in the region,” Mr Brown said.
Defence released a statement saying that Russian warships had been deployed to previous international summits including the 2009 APEC meeting in Singapore and the visit of President Medvedev to San Francisco in 2010.
Russian has increased its global military activity in recent weeks with submarine incursions in the Baltic, bomber flights over the Arctic and the Caribbean and the task group in the South Pacific.
Swedish Navy submarine Captain Jens Nykvist told a Submarine Institute conference in Fremantle yesterday that the Baltic had returned to “Cold War” status after years of peace.
“We have increased activities and it has affected our operations ... we spend more time at sea. It is an interesting future we see,” Captain Nykvist said.
The Defence Department confirmed the ship and aircraft deployments on Thursday night.
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