VOL. IV (XXI) 2009 - Departamentul de Filosofie si Stiinte ale ...

ADRIAN PĂCURAR 119
not so short neither for Russia or United States. Beyond any discussion
about the causes of these tragedies a fact is clear: without the sacrifice of
those crews the Cold War could turn hot. Mutual deterrence was indeed the
supreme psychological weapon during Cold War and the sacrifice of those
sailors who were commissioned aboard nuclear submarines of both sides
must never be forgotten. Those sailors are never really died in the hearts of
the relatives from home. They are still in mission, beneath the waves; they
are gone, forever, on eternal patrol. Even now, as you read this, crews and
submarines of the main military superpowers are on classified long range
submarine patrols, deep, deep down into the ocean, silently protecting the
peace. We must honor them because their sacrifice was not in vane: the
balance of terror was functioning between Russia and America during Cold
War thanks to them and their courage and thus the nuclear mutual
annihilation was avoided. And let us remember once again that these efforts
are going on even today regardless of what White House and Kremlin are
saying to the general public 7 . At any given moment at least one American
Ohio ballistic nuclear class submarine is hiding deep into the cold and dark
ocean, totally cut from the world above, in a constant state of nuclear attack
readiness. Lonely, silent, and powerful… always ready for the ultimate strike.
7 There are studies of global security which indicate that Russia has reduced its
nuclear submarine deterrence patrols after the loss of Kursk in summer of 2000 but it
is very hard to believe that Kremlin was abandoned these types of ultimate military
missions.