According to the Office of Naval Intelligence: "The naval buildup includes three new classes of advanced submarines and several new types of warships that the report warns will “provide a flexible platform for Russia to demonstrate offensive capability, threaten neighbors,
project power regionally (my emphasis), and advance President Putin’s stated goal of returning Russia to clear great power status.”
Source:
http://freebeacon.com/national-secur...naval-buildup/
And, this is another tidbit: “We’re back to the great powers competition,” Adm. John M. Richardson, the chief of naval operations, said in an interview.
Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/21/wo...rise.html?_r=0
So, it seems the Russians want to up the ante to become a "peer" adversary to essentially challenge the US, the UK, and NATO anywhere and everywhere.
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