When two carrier groups steam offshore, they are the largest air force in the world save a very few. (businessinsider.com)
Moscow has attacked two small countries in continental Europe in the last five years (Estonia via a concerted cyber coercion campaign in 2007, Georgia via a major ground invasion in 2008); routinely drives strategic bombers around UK airspace; and parked an aircraft carrier group in the Moray Firth earlier in 2012. (blog.politics.ox.ac.uk)
And retired Admiral James Stavridis, a former NATO supreme allied commander, told CNN that «Russian subs pose an existential threat to U.S. carrier groups,» as the US can no longer maintain «100 % awareness of Russian sub activity.» (businessinsider.com)