The Russians are coming, the Russians are coming...

[JohnR]

Russian Subs Patrolling Off East Coast of U.S.
By MARK MAZZETTI and THOM SHANKER
Published: August 4, 2009

WASHINGTON — A pair of nuclear-powered Russian attack submarines has been patrolling off the eastern seaboard of the United States in recent days, a rare mission that has raised concerns inside the Pentagon and intelligence agencies about a more assertive stance by the Russian military.

The episode has echoes of the cold war era, when the United States and the Soviet Union regularly parked submarines off each other’s coasts to steal military secrets, track the movements of their underwater fleets — and be poised for war.

But the collapse of the Soviet Union all but eliminated the ability of the Russian Navy to operate far from home ports, making the current submarine patrols thousands of miles from Russia more surprising for military officials and defense policy experts.

“I don’t think they’ve put two first-line nuclear subs off the U.S. coast in about 15 years,” said Norman Polmar, a naval historian and submarine warfare expert.

More here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/05/wo...trol.html?_r=1

Scuttlebutt is that they want in on the "Cash for Clunkers" program
(I can't take credit for that, saw that elsewhere but too good not to pass on)