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Richard Cochrane is trained in chemistry and metallurgy but is far more interested and practiced as a political and fund raising consultant, writer and amateur historian. He grew up in a Navy family and with his two younger brothers carried on its 500+ year tradition of naval service to Great Britain and the USA then enjoyed a career with one of the largest advertising and public relations agencies working with numerous Fortune 500 companies and many of America's premier educational institutions. He maintains friendships and acquaintanceships around the world. He lives in Santa Barbara, California.

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Top U. S. - Russia Military Leaders Met In "Secret."

December 2nd, 2008 • Richard Cochrane
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Two Military "Superpowerss" meet in secret. China left out.

RIA Novosti Report Says Missile Defense Shield Topped Agenda.

Admiral. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs, and four-star Gen. Nikolai Makarov, the chief of the Russian General Staff had very low profile meetings in October in Finland. At the top of their agenda was the dispute over U.S. plans to build ballistic missile defense bases in Poland and the Czech Republic which has turned into a Bush administration trump card. The top soldiers were also concerned over escalating U.S.-Russian tensions following Moscow's invasion in August of the former Soviet republic of Georgia in the Caucasus and U.S. and NATO shows of naval force in the Black Sea following the conflict..

According to an analysis by the Russian Information Agency Novosti Makarov and Mullen were believed to also have reviewed the scheduled Nov. 24-30 visit of a powerful Russian naval to Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. Also they discussed the September visit there of two supersonic, Russian “Blackjack” nuclear bombers, each capable of carrying 12 mach-2.8 air-launched cruise missiles with a range of 2,000 miles each - to Venezuela. They also likely discussed the upcoming joint military exercises between the U. S. and Japan in the Pacific.

Overlaying the talks was a profound and much overlooked reality that no one else rivals the United States or Russia in its capability to project massive power around the globe, and the U. S. is decidedly ahead of Russia. Such private “super-power” meetings are expected to increase during an Obama administration. The one admonition is a well practiced Russiam tactic of seeking and taking concession – asking for more without conceding anything significant.

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