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Report: Cuba, Venezuela could host Russian bombers


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MOSCOW – A Russian Air Force chief said Saturday that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has offered an island as a temporary base for strategic Russian bombers, the Interfax news agency reported.

The chief of staff of Russia's long range aviation, Maj. Gen. Anatoly Zhikharev, also said Cuba could be used to base the aircraft, Interfax reported.

The Kremlin, however, said the situation was hypothetical.

"The military is speaking about technical possibilities, that's all," Alexei Pavlov, a Kremlin official, told The Associated Press. "If there will be a development of the situation, then we can comment," he said.

Zhikharev said Chavez had offered "a whole island with an airdrome, which we can use as a temporary base for strategic bombers," the agency reported. "If there is a corresponding political decision, then the use of the island ... by the Russian Air Force is possible."

Interfax reported he said earlier that Cuba has air bases with four or five runways long enough for the huge bombers and could be used to host the long-range planes.

Two Russian bombers landed in Venezuela last year in what experts said was the first Western Hemisphere touchdown of Russian military craft since the end of the Cold War.

Cuba has never permanently hosted Russian or Soviet strategic aircraft. But Soviet short-range bombers often made stopovers there during the Cold War.

Russia resumed long-range bomber patrols in 2007 after a 15-year hiatus.

Independent military analyst Alexander Golts said from a strategic point of view there was nothing for Russia to gain from basing long-range craft within relatively short range of U.S. shores.

"It has no military sense. The bombers don't need any base. This is just a retaliatory gesture," Golts said, saying Russia wanted to hit back after U.S. ships patrolled Black Sea waters.

Moscow and the new U.S. administration of President Barack Obama have appeared to want to mend their relations, which reached a post-Cold War low last year when Russia's invasion of U.S. ally Georgia compounded disputes on security and democracy.

U.S. plans initiated under former President George W. Bush to position defense missiles in Poland and the Czech Republic had particularly irked Russia, which has welcomed his successor's apparently more cautious approach to the divisive issue.

Venezuela and Cuba, traditionally fierce U.S. foes, have close political and energy relations with Russia.

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OK, my ignorance is about to show it's face... Why would we be worried about where the bombers were based when they still have ICBMs and ISSBNs? So they have bombers in Cuba, what about the nuke subs that can be off the coast of New York and we wouldn't know it.

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Didn't we already go around on this when they had those two TU-160's a while back?

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Don't get your hopes up. There is a "No drinking" policy in effect for SOUTHcom right now. It is still soundly in effect and has not gone away since it was enacted in December. The dudes in the desert are allowed to drink more than we are down here. :rainbow:

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Don't get your hopes up. There is a "No drinking" policy in effect for SOUTHcom right now. It is still soundly in effect and has not gone away since it was enacted in December. The dudes in the desert are allowed to drink more than we are down here. :rainbow:

Thanks, Buzz Killington.

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Don't get your hopes up. There is a "No drinking" policy in effect for SOUTHcom right now. It is still soundly in effect and has not gone away since it was enacted in December. The dudes in the desert are allowed to drink more than we are down here. :rainbow:

A huge UFB!!! As in no drinking off base? Or even on, for that matter? How in the hell is that a lawful order?

Ok, an order in Muslim country where they, notionally, don't drink and we are 'guests' on their soil, but in Central and South America?

What is the rationale for that? Was one given?

I'd be writing to my Congressmen/Senators.

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A huge UFB!!! As in no drinking off base? Or even on, for that matter? How in the hell is that a lawful order?

Ok, an order in Muslim country where they, notionally, don't drink and we are 'guests' on their soil, but in Central and South America?

What is the rationale for that? Was one given?

I'd be writing to my Congressmen/Senators.

No drinking period. It came from a Marine three star general... One of the guard units (Go New Hampshire, you guys rock!) already tried to rock the boat with the lawfull order. Long story short, it's still in place. Totally :rainbow: but I have no right to bitch about drinking when there are dudes in the desert putting up with much more crap than I am.

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Most of the time it's the fault of the Army. I heard a story a few years back about how in a certain southern country there was a group of Army guys who took their host nation leader's daughter (unknowing that their intended Rufiecolada was for that level of piece of ace) out and were trying to get her drunk beyond tolerances. Turned into a big deal and subsequently provided the ammunition to disallow alcohol consumption by any US military member.

Standing by pro-Army retalitaion (I ain't skeered)...

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Most of the time it's the fault of the Army. I heard a story a few years back about how in a certain southern country there was a group of Army guys who took their host nation leader's daughter (unknowing that their intended Rufiecolada was for that level of piece of ace) out and were trying to get her drunk beyond tolerances. Turned into a big deal and subsequently provided the ammunition to disallow alcohol consumption by any US military member.

Standing by pro-Army retalitaion (I ain't skeered)...

We can send the Hurricane Hunters overf Cuba to watch them pesky Bears! Maybe even fire the dropsondes on them!! Cuba overflights

Not to stray to far off-topic, but on my recent rotator flight back to the states we had an Army O-6 try to assert GO-1/no drinking on us just prior to landing in Shannon ! What was even more absurd, it was on Super Bowl Sunday! We picked up the O-6 in Kuwait which outranked our ANG Flyer LtCol troop CC. I guess they had a change of command in first class. Anyway, the aircraft parks at Shannon and before we deplane the Army Col introduces himself on the PA system as the new Troop CC and reminds us that we are still banned to drink. You should have heard the bitching and moaning from the back of the aircraft. This from dudes who have rotated several times through Shannon and pounding beers at the bar is the highlight of their trip. Well common sense prevailed, and the next dude on the Mic was our previous Troop CC and he clarified that USAF members were allowed to drink, but to keep it under control! Cheers abounded.

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A huge UFB!!! As in no drinking off base? Or even on, for that matter? How in the hell is that a lawful order?

Ok, an order in Muslim country where they, notionally, don't drink and we are 'guests' on their soil, but in Central and South America?

What is the rationale for that? Was one given?

I'd be writing to my Congressmen/Senators.

You ain't seen nothing...two years ago a AFSOC Wing/CC dropped General Order #1 on his folks deploying to Nellis for Weapons School ME.

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You ain't seen nothing...two years ago a AFSOC Wing/CC dropped General Order #1 on his folks deploying to Nellis for Weapons School ME.

And as recent as last summer during a couple of HUREVACs. Nothing like leading from the bunker... :bash:

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  • 10 years later...
  • 4 years later...

On the subject of Venezuelan hijinks & shenanigans:

https://news.yahoo.com/venezuela-hold-referendum-over-essequibo-011431027.html

Guyana has little military capability compared to Venezuela whose capabilities I’m sure are somewhat questionable but methinks if they did go kinetic they’d win initially at least, jungle insurgency to follow 

Edited by Clark Griswold
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3 hours ago, Clark Griswold said:

On the subject of Venezuelan hijinks & shenanigans:

https://news.yahoo.com/venezuela-hold-referendum-over-essequibo-011431027.html

Guyana has little military capability compared to Venezuela whose capabilities I’m sure are somewhat questionable but methinks if they did go kinetic they’d win initially at least, jungle insurgency to follow 

Well, I thought Russia would easily overrun Ukraine…so who knows what to think anymore lol

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2 hours ago, HeloDude said:

Well, I thought Russia would easily overrun Ukraine…so who knows what to think anymore lol

Same, things are coming out of left field these days 

I don’t know, the US is busy but has forces that could respond to aggression if it happened and we decided that directly involving ourselves was in our interest

IDK if any SA country would respond to aid in repelling a Venezuelan invasion and I think the administration would be reticent given the upcoming election for POTUS

If the Venezuelans did attack and we did respond to aid Guyana, I could see an air campaign to destroy major conventional capabilities to give them a more even playing field

Edited by Clark Griswold
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Excerises with Guyana 

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/u-s-conducts-joint-military-exercise-with-guyana-as-tensions-with-venezuela-rise
 

Porcupine strategy: mines, a shit ton of small arms, drones, manpads, rpgs and a MEF nearby can probably keep the status quo.  
 

Can we supply three allies, potentially a fourth in a hot war simultaneously?

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  • 1 month later...

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