How much of a threat does Russia’s Pacific fleet pose to the US?

Russia’s Pacific Fleet has between one-eighth and one-tenth the size of China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy, and China has dozens of newer destroyers and cruisers, said retired Navy Capt. Thomas Shugart, a military innovation expert with the Center for a New American Security think tank in Washington, D.C.

On its own, Russia’s Pacific Fleet would not last long in a conflict with the U.S. Navy, Shugart told Task & Purpose. However, the United States would face a much more serious threat if it had to fight both the Russian and Chinese navies in the Pacific.

“That makes what would already be a pretty challenging situation much more challenging by the addition of that extra margin of vessels that the Pacific Fleet could add, in particular, the ability for it to have some relatively quiet nuclear submarines – much quieter than the Chinese – that could be roaming around creating lots of trouble behind the lines for us.”

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