On the 5^th December 2007, Armed Forces International reported that, since August, more than 70 Russian Air Force bomber patrol flights had been carried out. On the same day, it emerged that Russia has deployed a group of 11 ships to the Mediterranean Sea - a move which, according to Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, is part of a wider directive to re-commence regular, globally-focused Russian Naval patrol missions.

Aircraft Carrier, Anti-Submarine Vessels, Guided Missile Cruiser Among Russian Fleet

Mr Serdyukov's comments were made at a meeting that also involved the Russian President, Vladimir Putin. He detailed how the fleet included an aircraft carrier, a guided missile cruiser and a pair of anti-submarine vessels, along with 47 airborne assets.

Tactical Exercises Planned Including Missile Launches

The group, he added, would carry out a trio of tactical exercises involving both actual and simulated missile launches.

"The expedition is aimed at ensuring a naval presence and establishing conditions for secure Russian navigation", the Russian media showed Mr Serdyukov as stating.

Earlier in 2007, Vladimir Masorin, the Russian Navy Commander, called for the restoration of a dedicated Russian Mediterranean presence, highlighting how the area was of strategic significance to the Black Sea Fleet.

Experts Query Russia's Naval Deployment

Experts, however, question the military sense of the move.

The Russian naval Mediterranean deployment is the most recent development in President Putin's programme to revitalise the nation's armed forces, fuelled by Russia's healthier financial prospects.

Despite his efforts, in November, a number of independent analysts said that Putin had not turned around the military decline that occurred in the aftermath of the Soviet Union's collapse - drawing attention to factors including consistently low morale within service personnel.

The Kremlin, they added, has also not fulfilled its pledge to bring new technology into Russia's armed forces.

Source - Armed Forces International's Naval Expert

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