So just sabre rattling or is this a mild show of force to try to calm our NATO allies.....hmmm
http://www.fool.com/investing/gener...nds-missile-destroying-warship-into-russ.aspx
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 Russia's nuclear arsenal.
Ever since Russian armed forces invaded and annexed the Ukrainian province of Crimea last month, the U.S. government has struggled to find an appropriate response. Trade sanctions and visa freezes on Russian government officials could punish Russia for what it's done in Crimea. But what could the U.S. do to deter further aggression?
This week, it appears the Obama administration hit upon its solution. It took the USS Donald Cook and sent it to Russia. Armed with new Standard Missile-3 IB weaponry from Raytheon (NYSE: RTN ) , the Cook boasts a robust version of Lockheed Martin's (NYSE: LMT ) Aegis ballistic missile defense system capable of shooting down supersonic, high-trajectory missiles such as Russia uses to carry its nuclear warheads. The warship was modified for ballistic missile defense (BMD) duty as part of a $22 billion project to build shipborne and land-based missile defense stations to protect Europe from Iranian long-range missiles. But just as President Putin predicted, it appears to have use in countering Russian threats as well.
..........there is more......
http://www.fool.com/investing/gener...nds-missile-destroying-warship-into-russ.aspx
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 Russia's nuclear arsenal.
Ever since Russian armed forces invaded and annexed the Ukrainian province of Crimea last month, the U.S. government has struggled to find an appropriate response. Trade sanctions and visa freezes on Russian government officials could punish Russia for what it's done in Crimea. But what could the U.S. do to deter further aggression?
This week, it appears the Obama administration hit upon its solution. It took the USS Donald Cook and sent it to Russia. Armed with new Standard Missile-3 IB weaponry from Raytheon (NYSE: RTN ) , the Cook boasts a robust version of Lockheed Martin's (NYSE: LMT ) Aegis ballistic missile defense system capable of shooting down supersonic, high-trajectory missiles such as Russia uses to carry its nuclear warheads. The warship was modified for ballistic missile defense (BMD) duty as part of a $22 billion project to build shipborne and land-based missile defense stations to protect Europe from Iranian long-range missiles. But just as President Putin predicted, it appears to have use in countering Russian threats as well.
..........there is more......