It’s a tense situation the media has compared to nothing less than the Cold War—Sweden is on the hunt for a foreign object that has repeatedly been spotted in its sovereign waters.  Theories include the unwelcome presence of a Russian submarine, which has led to the inevitable reference to the classic book and film “The Hunt for Red October.” But after a weeklong operation involving a massive military mobilization and days of capturing the public’s rapt attention, what have the authorities discovered? Kemplon Engineering takes a look at the intriguing developments around a strange incident people have come to refer to, cleverly, as the ‘hunt for Reds in October.’


Signs of Intrusion
In mid-October, indications that a foreign vessel may have ventured into the Stockholm archipelago placed Sweden on high alert. Suspicions turned toward the unwanted presence of a submarine— not to mention a possible Russian involvement—though officials did not state explicit accusations. Tensions are high with Russia following its assertive actions in Ukraine, and Russian presence in the region is not without precedent. In 1981, a Soviet submarine that may have been carrying nuclear weapons had figured in an accident that left it stranded off Karlskrona in Sweden. The Baltic is also known as a training ground for submariners.

Moscow is quick to deny any involvement, though some thinkers posit that Russia may be testing the waters, so to speak, of how NATO-allies like Sweden might respond to its actions.

The search has ended, yielding no discoveries. But the military response was large scale, involving helicopters, minesweepers and ships, and should ideally fuel public confidence in the government’s ability to provide security amidst times of uncertainty and possible threat. The defense budget may also be in for a rise.

Maritime technology has brought humanity to such great heights, connecting people and products all over the world. But with the good also comes some bad—our marine capabilities have also brought us into dangerous waters, especially in cases of conflict. We can only hope that what capabilities we currently have would be used cautiously and responsibly.

References
Bilefsky, Dan. “Sweden Ends Submarine Search, Closing Book on Intrigue-Tinged Episode.” The New York Times, 24 Oct 2014. Web. 28 Oct 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/25/world/europe/stockholm-sweden-submarine-search.html?_r=0
Brumfield, Ben and Emil Hellerud. “Russian sub or no, there's a mighty stir in Sweden's waters.” CNN, 22 Oct 2014. Web. 28 Oct 2014. http://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/22/world/europe/sweden-submarine-mystery/
“Echoes of the cold war.” The Economist, 25 Oct 2014. Web. 28 Oct 2014. http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21627715-frustrating-search-suspected-russian-submarine-echoes-cold-war

“Sweden submarine hunt - in 60 seconds.” BBC, 22 Oct 2014. Web. 28 Oct 2014. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29727311
Image Credit: Screen Capture.“Sweden submarine hunt - in 60 seconds.” BBC, 22 Oct 2014. Web. 28 Oct 2014. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29727311