Russia has a new naval doctrine

Interesting rundown of Russia’s new naval doctrine by Dmitry Gorenburg for War On The Rocks:

Taken at face value, the doctrine appears to promote a vision of a revived Russian Navy that can maintain its superiority over up and comers like China’s navy, and even pose a serious threat to the U.S. Navy in certain environments. The reality is, as with most such documents, the gap between aspiration and feasible plans remains quite large.

The document outlines the vision for the Russian Navy until 2030 and replaces the five year old 2020-plan.

Gorenburg emphasizes the role that the naval doctrine plays in an internal struggle for resources but I would add that the visions of the doctrine reflect the views of naval officers’ on the appropriate position for the Russian Navy, and that to a certain degree it is a question of maintaining an already established position rather than about conquering new terrain.