Plans by the , U. S. Navy , to build a nuclear underwater to , Cuba , this year were considered thus program, little thought was given to the shift within the , U. S.  , state — until the Biden presidency learned of Russia’s plans to dock one of its own in , Havana , at the same time.
The , Navy , had planned for weeks to build the USS Helena, a nuclear- powered, rapidly- attack submarine, to the , Guantanamo Bay Naval Base , as “part of our daily marine activities”, one standard with , U. S.  , Southern Command, based in , Doral, said.
But the revelation that , Russia , intended to send some combat vessels and the , Kazan , — one of its most advanced nuclear submarines — to the area for military exercises this week sparked a debate among , Navy , and administration officials whether to deal with the Helena deployment, or to alter or cancel it, two officials familiar with the matter told McClatchy and the , Miami Herald.
One official with knowledge of the situation said,” There was discussion about whether to proceed.”
Biden administration officials had already believed that , Cuba , approved Russia’s latest port call “at least in part because of Havana’s displeasure” over a similar event last year, in which a , U. S.  , submarine visited the , Guantanamo , base, infuriating the Cuban government, one , U. S.  , official said. Officials feared that a second visit, announced during the Russian exercises, could escalate tensions further.
Ultimately, the , Navy , argued that changing or canceling a , U. S.  , military deployment to accommodate the movements of another power would set a bad precedent.
” We see no reason to alter previously planned, routine activity in response to Russian activity in the region”, said the , Southcom , official, who noted that , Cuba , was provided notice of Helena’s arrival.
The internal debate reflects sensitivities around a set of military maneuvers that would, in most other circumstances, be viewed as routine. The Cuban, Russian, and , U. S.  , governments have all put out statements making clear that their actions are not intended to pose a threat to their adversaries.
Yet an increase in tensions between , Moscow , and , Washington , over , U. S.  , support for , Ukraine, and Russia’s decision to deploy naval combat vessels within 30 miles of , U. S.  , shores, has contributed to the sense that these movements may be different.
Jake Sullivan, the , U. S.  , national security advisor, told reporters on Wednesday that the current Russian exercises were “distinct” due to the inclusion of the , Kazan.
” They have a submarine associated with this port visit that they have not had before”, Sullivan said,” But fundamentally, the notion that , Russia , takes some of its Russian naval assets and does a port visit to , Havana , is something that we’ve seen before”.
” It’s something we watch closely, carefully”, he added. We’ll see how this develops in the coming weeks.
The Russian flotilla could move south through the , Caribbean, down to , Venezuela, as soon as next week.
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