Russia to Build Massive Fortifications For Pacific Nuclear Submarine Base

The Russian Navy’s Kamchatka base in the country’s Far East is set to receive a major upgrade to its defences, providing much needed protection for vital nuclear powered submarines based there against a potential preemptive Western attack. The base is located close to Japan, which hosts the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet and multiple major air bases. The decision to invest in upgrading was confirmed at a time of amid escalating tensions in the Western Pacific region following the American ‘Pivot to Asia’ initiative, and an increasing focus on the region by Moscow due to its fast growing strategic importance. The base is prized for its direct access to deep oceanic waters, allowing submarines to move in and out of the Pacific Ocean without a significant chance of detection.

The base at Kamchatka base hosts both high endurance attack submarines which can threaten enemy shipping and deliver cruise missile strikes across the Pacific Ocean, as well as strategic ballistic missile submarines intended to deter attacks on Russian territory. Breakwaters being designed to protect the facility will reportedly extend over 50 meters under water, and accommodations will be made to house new Borei-A class ballistic missile submarines, two of which are expected to be delivered to the Pacific Fleet in the early 2020s. The Russian Defence Ministry has invested disproportionately in modernising its fleets of nuclear powered strategic and attacks submarines since the disintegration of the USSR, while no orders have been placed for destroyers or cruisers for the surface fleet.