On June 12th, 2024, three Russian warships and one submarine arrived in Cuba possibly equipped with hyper-sonic missiles. The recent naval exercise in the Caribbean has renewed alarm about Russia’s increasingly robust navy, illustrated by the deployment of the feared Yasen-class submarine. Meanwhile, the American defence budget for FY24 notably denies Congress the opportunity to develop additional submarines or missile interceptors for the homeland United States. Russia’s show of strength reminds Western audiences of the potential consequences of great power saber rattling. 

At a 2023 press conference covering the successful testing of the Zircon hyper-sonic missile, Putin boasted of the missile’s capabilities. He told the T.A.S.S. news agency that the missile “has no analogues in the world” and that the missile will “help ensure the national interests of [Russia].” According to the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliances based in the U.S., the Zircon missile touts a range of 500-1000 kilometers along with hyper-sonic speeds which are rumoured to achieve Mach 8 speeds (6,138 mph.) The Alliance’s assessment of the missile’s development is sobering: “If that information is accurate, the Zircon missile would be the fastest in the world, making it nearly impossible to defend against due to its speed alone.” 

American naval officials are projecting hubris despite popular concerns over the fleet’s arrival in Cuba. Retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery told Fox News that American submarines could easily outmaneuver a potential attack, but failed to assuage concerns about the missiles’ deadly implications for ground targets. The FY25 American defence budget has allocated little in the way of additional submarine development, with the White House urging Congress to settle for the development of only one Virginia class submarine by 2030, instead of the proposed two. Additionally, the White House does not support increasing mainland defensive capabilities in the form of an additional missile interceptor on the East Coast. The White House said in a statement that “[t]here is no operational need for such a site to protect the homeland against potential ballistic missiles originating from Iran or North Korea.” 

American naval capabilities are caught in a critical juncture where many vessels are deemed too old for modernisation. A wide-scale production of new fleets has not been ushered in to meet this challenge. Although capable of inflicting great damage on enemy targets, the American defence reserve is no longer a safe deterrent for foreign powers. The unforeseen speed of hyper-sonic missiles like the Zircon renders slow-moving targets remarkably vulnerable, especially considering the reluctance of the White House to invest in additional missile interception sites. 

At this current stage in the confrontation between the West and Russia over Ukraine, it is becoming increasingly apparent that real peace negotiations are necessary to prevent great power conflict from engulfing both hemispheres. Realistic negotiations between the West and Russia would have to appreciate Putin’s demand that the Donetsk and Luhansk regions be integrated into Russia. This is in accordance with the will expressed by the people of those regions who popularly expressed their desires to join Russia in the 2014 Donbass referendum. Battlefield realities in Ukraine will continue to fare worse for Ukrainians so long as N.A.T.O. countries fail to send them reinforcements. Instead of providing Ukraine with much-needed personnel the West continues to funnel the nation’s arms and has gradually allowed Ukraine to strike deeper into Russian territory, endangering civilians. While the United States actively facilitates the rearmament of Ukraine, the deployment of Russian military vessels to Cuba should remind the U.S. of the potential consequences of avoiding real negotiations with Russia.