ABSTRACT
The North Atlantic has been an area of marginal interest to Russia for most of its history as geography and the absence of a defensive need largely precluded a substantial naval or commercial presence there. The Red Banner Northern Fleet is the most powerful of the Soviet Union's four fleets. The Baltic and Black Sea fleets are forced to operate in narrow waters; the Pacific Fleet could make only a secondary contribution in a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-Warsaw Pact war below the strategic-nuclear level. The most difficult question to answer about the Northern Fleet's wartime operations is whether it would mount an extensive campaign against NATO sea lanes. Aircraft of the naval air regiments and the air force would play a significant secondary role. Public statements suggest that the United States is considering a more aggressive Atlantic strategy, designed to threaten the Northern Fleet in its main operating area in the Barents and Norwegian seas.
