One thing you rarely see the Pentagon talk about is the position of our nuclear submarines.
It’s something that everyone knows is there, and everyone knows what will happen if the weaponry is unleashed, but most people just like to pretend that they don’t exist.
President Donald Trump broke that custom after a former Russian president started tossing around some rhetoric, and now military experts are applauding the move.
Russia’s former president, Dmitri Medvedev, who has served as a sort of mouthpiece for Vladimir Putin for things he wants to say but cannot, spouted off again last week, threatening the United States.
Trump took exception to the comments, which were not the first time Medvedev has made threats, by the way, and the president stated that he had ordered two nuclear submarines “to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that.”
The president later added, “Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences. I hope this will not be one of those instances.”
Trump was criticized in the media, by Democrats, and even some Republicans for revealing the position of the subs.
Putin has since tried to quiet things down, telling the media that nobody wins a nuclear war, and one should never be started.
Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated, “We approach any statements related to nuclear issues with great caution. Russia is firmly committed to nuclear non-proliferation, and we believe that all parties should exercise the utmost restraint when it comes to nuclear rhetoric.”
Authorities in Russia also tried to downplay the announcement from Trump, doubting that the president even gave such an order.
The insinuation was that Russia was well aware that we had subs in the area doing regular patrols, as Russia most assuredly has some of its subs off our coastline doing the same.
Military experts are applauding Trump’s move solely due to the fact that the while claim he made is unverifiable, it shows strength simply because it was made.
For instance, Gene Moran, a former Navy captain and Pentagon strategic advisor, stated, "Submarine deployments are unverifiable. That’s what gives them strategic value, but also what makes this announcement clever -- if you're aiming for a headline."
For those critical of Trump's decision, Vice Admiral Mike Connor, former commander of U.S. submarine forces, added, "He didn’t really give away too much. It’s generally understood, by our potential adversaries, that our submarines are out there, have been out there for 60-plus years, and are able to strike pretty much where they want, when they want, if needed."
I tend to agree. Some people are trying to portray this as an attempt by Trump to start a war with Russia, but there is no way the president would go that far. He puffed out his chest, but I don’t think that was the real purpose. Trump has a few negative news cycles hitting him at once right now, and this was a way to deflect away from those narratives, and, as usual, he succeeded.
