RUSSIA IN VIETNAM USING A FORMER US BASE FOR ITS NUCLEAR PLANE BOMBER SUPPORT–AS RUSSIA GAVE 3 SUBMARINE TO VIETNAM AS A TRADE OFF FOR THE USE OF CAM RANH BAY - AND WHAT IS RUSSIA PLANNING TO DO AS AN OLD COMMUNIST WHO DOES THE FIRST STRIKE AS HISTORICAL SUPPORTS–MAYBE A PEARL HARBOR WAITING TO STRIKE

Russia vowed Friday to continue using a former U.S. base in Vietnam for supporting its bomber flights, despite Washington’s concerns over its operations in the Pacific region.

The State Department on Wednesday asked Hanoi to limit Moscow’s use of Cam Ranh Bay. The U.S. is worried about the harbor’s strategic importance to Russia, which uses the base for refueling and stationing its aircraft.

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“It is strange to hear such statements from representatives of the state whose armed forces are permanently stationed in a number of Asia-Pacific countries and which continues to increase its level of military activity in the region,” Russia’s Defense Ministry said Friday, according to Reuters.

Gen. Vincent Brooks, the U.S. Army commander in the Pacific, on Wednesday called Russian aerial exercises in the region “provocative.” Cam Ranh Bay is within striking distance of Guam, a U.S. Pacific Ocean territory that houses a critical U.S. Air Force base.

He called Russia’s actions a “spoiler to our interests and the interests of others.”

Moscow has largely used its bombers stationed at Cam Ranh Bay for intelligence gathering and training operations. U.S. concerns stem from some of the planes’ nuclear capabilities.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Thursday the U.S. did not want Russia accessing Cam Ranh Bay.

“We have urged Vietnamese officials to ensure that Russia is not able to use its access to Cam Ranh Bay to conduct activities that could raise tensions in the region,” she said during a news briefing.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Friday that its coordination with Hanoi was “carried out in strict accordance with international norms, and bilateral agreements are not directed against anyone whatsoever and shall not be a threat to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.”

The U.S. converted Cam Ranh Bay into a base for its naval and air forces during the Vietnam War. Communist forces captured it in 1975.

Reuters reported Wednesday that Russia gave Vietnam’s navy three submarines for use in the harbor. Hanoi is expecting an additional pair in early 2016.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/235658-russia-will-keep-using-vietnam-base-despite-us-concerns