October-1st-2018

U.S. Navy Nimitz Class Supercarrier

The United States Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has proposed that the U.S. Navy could be used to impose a blockade to restrict Russia’s energy trade - with the purpose of undermining Moscow’s ties with the Middle East in particular. Speaking on Friday at an industry event in Pennsylvania hosted by the Consumer Energy Alliance, the Secretary stated: "The United States has that ability, with our Navy, to make sure the sea lanes are open, and, if necessary, to blockade… to make sure that their energy does not go to market.” This proposition comes amid growing tensions between Moscow and the Western Bloc, and shortly after U.S. President Trump warned of the dire potential consequences of Europe’s energy reliance on Russia.

Regarding the vulnerability of Russia to a blockade and the reasons why he perceived a strategy of blockade to be favourable, Secretary Zinke stated that the Russian economy depended heavily on its ability to sell energy - referring to it as a “one trick pony." The secretary continued: "I believe the reason they are in the Middle East is they want to broker energy just like they do in Eastern Europe, the southern belly of Europe." When asked how the U.S. should deal with Russia and Iran - two of the country’s four ‘great power adversaries’ - Zinke said he believed there were two potential options: "There is the military option, which I would rather not. And there is the economic option.The economic option on Iran and Russia is, more or less, leveraging and replacing fuels... We can do that because… the United States is the largest producer of oil and gas.”

Alongside a potential blockade of Russia, Secretary Zinke sought to wage a form of economic warfare by leveraging its advantages in hydraulic fracturing technology and the shale energy boom - which supposedly could give the U.S. an advantage over its rivals Russia and Iran, both economies heavily reliant on energy exports. He put forward the theory that the reason why Russia had increased its presence in the Middle East was hydrocarbons trade - though he failed to put forward evidence to substantiate this claim. The Secretary’s claim may have been made in regards to Russia’s military support for the Syrian government, which previously refused a pipeline for Qatari natural gas to Europe and instead supported plans for an Iranian pipeline - which could well foster European reliance on both of Washington’s adversaries for energy. While the Secretary’s proposal is highly illegal under international law, similar proposals have been made in the past by high ranking figures in the U.S. military regarding a potential absolute blockade of North Korea by the Navy and a number of its Western partners. Ultimately an actual blockade of Russian energy exports remains highly unlikely, particularly given the risks of a general war between Russia and the Western Bloc and the country’s cutting edge anti ship missile capabilities which would put the U.S. Navy’s warships - and its reputation - at serious risk. While Washington is unlikely to take up the Interior Secretary's proposal, how the United States will respond to Russia’s growing influence the Middle East, particularly in light of its successes on the battlefield in Syria against a number of Western backed insurgent groups, remains to be seen. Greater self sufficiency for the United States economy as a result of greater fossil fuel production however is set to strengthen the American position considerably - reducing reliance on external sources such as the Middle East for the U.S. and potentially a number of its allies as well.

https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/u-s-interior-secretary-proposes-naval-blockade-of-russia-can-it-work