MOSCOW, July 20. /TASS/. Russia is setting its sights on making its Navy the world's second in combat capabilities, say the Fundamentals of Russia’s State Naval Policy Through 2030 approved by President Vladimir Putin’s decree on Thursday.

During times of peace and in the wake of an immediate threat or aggression, the Russian Navy should be capable of preventing any pressure and aggression against Russia and its allies both in oceanic and maritime routes and of deploying forces (troops) promptly and secretly in remote areas of the World Ocean. The Navy should be capable of providing sustainable, covert and uninterrupted command in a real time mode over the forces (troops) that can be stationed in any area of the World Ocean at the time.

During wartime, the Navy should be capable of inflicting insufferable damage to an adversary with the aim of coercing them into ending hostilities under conditions that secure Russia’s national interests.

The Navy should succeed in battling the adversary with the use of the navy’s high-technology potential (including precise weapons), groupings of their Navies in near and remote zones and areas of the seas and oceans.

US ‘global strike’ concept poses direct threat to Russia’s security

The Russian Navy is a major effective instrument of strategic containment, including against the US ‘global strike’ concept that poses a direct threat to international and Russia’s security, according to the document.

The document notes that the role of armed forces in the struggle for leadership in the oceanic and sea directions increases in the 21st century and "the navies of world powers are able with their actions from the sea to change the course of the armed struggle and the war outcome as a whole."

"A confirmation of this is the ‘global strike’ concept, which has been developed by the United States and which poses a new challenge to international security and directly threatens the military security of the Russian Federation. An important role in the implementation of this concept is attached to naval forces," the Fundamentals of Russia’s State Naval Policy say.

The document stresses that the Russian Navy is "one of the most effective instruments of strategic (nuclear and conventional) containment, including of the prevention of a ‘global strike.’"

This is ensured by the presence of naval strategic nuclear forces and general-purpose naval forces in the Navy, and also by the possibility of realizing the Russian Navy’s combat potential "practically in any area of the World Ocean" and the ability of naval groupings to deploy "within short time limits" in the areas of the emergence of conflict situations and the ability of their long stay there "without breaching the sovereignty of other states," and also by the high degree of preparedness for operations, including for delivering strikes against an enemy’s critically important facilities."

Precision weapons

The document also notes that with the development of precision weapons, the Navy faces "a qualitatively new task of destroying an enemy’s military and economic potential by striking its vital facilities from the sea."

"The availability of a sufficient amount of precision weapons and the possibility to use them by various methods will help ensure the containment of large-scale military operations against the Russian federation," the document says.

Strategic containment basic elements

According to the document, nuclear and conventional containment are the basic elements of the system of strategic deterrence while general-purpose naval forces play an important role in accomplishing strategic containment tasks.

"Amid an escalating military conflict, the demonstration of preparedness and resolve to use force with the employment of non-strategic nuclear weapons is an effective deterrence factor," the Fundamentals say.

The document defines the basic naval tasks for the prevention of military conflicts and strategic deterrence: continuously assessing and forecasting the military and political situation in the World Ocean, maintaining strategic stability in this sphere, keeping the naval forces ready for operations in strategically important areas, providing for the possibility for warships to use weapons, including long-range precision weapons, "against any potential enemy," performing maneuvers and "regular under-ice operation of nuclear-powered submarines," raising the Black Sea Fleet’s operational and combat capabilities by way of developing a joint force grouping on the Crimean peninsula, and also ensuring Russia’s permanent naval presence in the Mediterranean Sea and other strategically important areas.