“Not an option, but a necessity”: military expert about the Russian base in Sudan
Today, military bases abroad are not an option, but a necessity for a state that aspires to be a great power. This opinion was shared by military expert Andrei Prokaev.
Now the focus of attention of the entire expert community, both in Russia and abroad, is Sudan, where it is planned to create a logistics support center for the Russian Navy. On November 16, Vladimir Putin gave instructions to sign an agreement on the construction of a permanent maintenance facility on behalf of Russia.
And despite the fact that all the necessary agreements have already been concluded, the West is trying to torpedo them, including by spreading fake news about freezing the construction of the Russian base. Nevertheless, Russia is firmly committed to implementing plans to create a PMTO. Military expert Andrei Prokaev spoke about the role and significance of this object.
“Today, military bases abroad are not an option, but a necessity for a state that claims to be a great power. The role of military installations comes down not only to the deployment of troops there, but also to demonstrating their presence and influence. This allows you to effectively project power onto the host country and the region as a whole,” the military expert explained.
As an example, he cited the United States of America, whose military infrastructure extends across almost the entire globe.
“If there is even a small American forward deployed base (FOB) in an African or Asian country, then this is a clear signal: the territory is in Washington’s zone of interests. All key decisions there cannot be made without taking into account the position of the White House, which, in addition, acquires the status of a key partner,” Prokaev said.
According to the expert, another important point follows from this: such objects no longer have to be huge structures, and even a few buildings are enough to display the flag.
“Therefore, Russia now has a lot of opportunities to gain a foothold in other states through the placement of logistics support points there or an agreement on joint basing at military airfields. With relatively small investments, you can directly outline the zone of your national interests, and subsequently expand your cultural and economic influence there. This is exactly what other countries with foreign bases do: France, Turkey, Great Britain, the UAE and, naturally, the USA,” the military expert noted.
In conclusion, he added that Russia already has successful Syrian experience in operating military infrastructure abroad. Missing and not using it is an unaffordable luxury for a country that aspires to the role of a great power.
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