Russian Nuclear Fleets Developments
Northern Fleet Developments
Pacific Fleet Developments
 
In ironic contrast to the Soviet Union's concentrated effort to create the largest fleet of nuclear submarines in the world, Russia's declining, post-Cold War nuclear navy faces severe funding problems, inadequate resources for decommissioning and dismantlement of aging vessels, and international pressure to comply with disarmament treaties and environmentally safe procedures.  As of May 2000, Russia's nuclear navy included only 45 operational nuclear-powered submarines,[4,5] down nearly 80% from the 245 vessels produced between the late 1950s to 1994.[2]  In keeping with tradition, around two-thirds of Russia's nuclear-powered submarines and three nuclear cruisers belong to the Northern Fleet, and one-third of the nuclear-powered submarines, one nuclear cruiser, and a nuclear-powered communications vessel belong to the Pacific Fleet.[1]
 
As downsizing continues, the role of the Northern Fleet has taken on increased significance.  While the Pacific Fleet remains operational with participation in ballistic missile test launches and SSN Pacific Ocean patrols, it has been stripped of any new construction responsibilities.  New construction, albeit stalled by a lack of funding as of early 1998, takes place only at the Northern Fleet's Sevmash facility in Severodvinsk.  In addition, the relatively new task of decommissioning and dismantlement overwhelms both fleets, as each of the dismantlement facilities (Nerpa, Sevmash, and Zvezdochka in the Northern Fleet and Zvezda in the Pacific Fleet) can handle only a few nuclear submarines per year, due to dwindling financial resources and inadequate capabilities for handling spent fuel and radioactive waste.

Despite the obstacles facing Russia's Northern and Pacific nuclear submarine fleets, ratification and implementation of the START II treaty will place greater importance on these vessels, which will house over half of Russia's nuclear warheads deployed on ICBMs.[3]

RUSSIA'S OPERATIONAL NUCLEAR-POWERED SUBMARINES AS OF MAY 2000[4,5]

 

	Northern Fleet	Pacific Fleet	Total
SSBNs	12	4	16
SSGNs	3	6	9
SSNs	13	7	20
Total	28	17	45

Sources:
[1] Joshua Handler, "The Russian Naval Nuclear Complex;" in The Nuclear Legacy of the Former Soviet Union: Implications for Security and  Ecology, Gerd Busmann, Oliver Meier, and Otfried Nassauer, eds., BITS Research Report 97.1, November 1997, p. 23.
[2] Oleg Bukharin and Joshua Handler, "Russian Nuclear-Powered Submarine Decommissioning," Science and Global Security, vol. 5, 1995, p. 246.
[3] "Worldwide Submarine Challenges," Office of Naval Intelligence, February 1997, p. 11.
[4] Jane's Fighting Ships 1999/2000 (Coulsdon, Surrey, UK; Alexandria, VA: Jane's Information Group, 1999), pp. 558-571.
[5] NISNP discussions with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientist, May 2000, RUS000501.{Entered 2/1/2002 CC}

 

Page last updated 13 August 2001.
For more recent developments, see the Northern Fleet, Pacific Fleet, and development sections under individual fleet facility files.

Comments or questions? Contact Cristina Chuen at MIIS CNS: Cristina.ChuenATmiis.edu

This material is produced independently for NTI by the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers, employees, agents. Copyright © 2002 by MIIS.

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