Last week's "major shift" in policy, which allowed the Biden-Harris team to green-light Ukraine's attacks deep within Russian territory using US-made ATACMS and British-made Storm Shadow missiles, has forced Russia to lower its threshold for using nuclear weapons against Ukraine while also launching new hypersonic weapons.

On Thursday, President Vladimir Putin issued a stern warning that Ukraine launching long-range missile strikes on Russia's territory utilizing newly approved US and UK long-range missiles risks transforming the modern battlefield in Ukraine into a global war. 

"A regional Ukraine conflict instigated by the West has acquired elements of a global one," Putin spelled out and noted that these missiles cannot be used without the direct operational involvement of Western military specialists.

No one genuinely anticipated that the outgoing Biden-Harris regime would escalate the war in Ukraine with Putin to the brink of a major broadening conflict. This suggests that the Biden-Harris team and the Military-Industrial Complex seek to broaden conflict before Trump takes office in late January.

Days ago, Ukraine's former military Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny was quoted by Politico as saying: "I believe that in 2024 we can absolutely believe that the Third World War has begun."

"Because in 2024, Ukraine is no longer facing Russia. Soldiers from North Korea are standing in front of Ukraine. Let's be honest. Already in Ukraine, the Iranian 'Shahedis' are killing civilians absolutely openly, without any shame," Zaluzhny continued, adding that North Korean and Chinese weapons are flying on the modern battlefield in Ukraine. 

With the elevated risk of the war broadening, this new round of tension in Eastern Europe draws attention to the approximate positions of US Navy and Russian Navy assets worldwide.

As of November 18, the US Naval Institute showed the approximate positions of the US Navy's deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world...

Here's more color on US naval asset positions worldwide:

Ships Underway

In Japan

Amphibious warship USS America (LHA-6) is in port in Sasebo, Japan.

In the Pacific

Amphibious warship USS Boxer (LHD-4) departed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Friday, according to ship spotters.

Boxer has elements of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked.

Aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) continues on its way to its new homeport of Yokosuka, Japan, as the Navy's forward-deployed carrier assigned to US 7th Fleet.

In Eastern Atlantic

Aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) is transiting en route to the Mediterranean after completing operations with allies and partners in the Norwegian Sea.

Carrier Strike Group 8

USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.

Carrier Air Wing 1

The "Red Rippers" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 11 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.

The "Pukin' Dogs" of VFA 143 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.

The "Sunliners" of VFA 81 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.

The "Knighthawks" of VFA 136 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.

The "Main Battery" of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 144 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.

The "Seahawks" of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 126 – E-2D – from Naval Station Norfolk, Va.

The "Rawhides" of Fleet Logistics Squadron (VRC) 40 Det. – C-2A – from Naval Station Norfolk.

The "Proud Warriors" of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 72 – MH-60R – from Naval Station Norfolk.

The "Dragonslayers" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 11 – MH-60S – from Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla.

Cruiser

USS Gettysburg (CG-64), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.

Destroyer Squadron 28

Destroyer Squadron 28 is based in Naval Station Norfolk, Va., and is embarked on Harry S. Truman.

USS Stout (DDG-55), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk.

The Wasp Amphibious Ready Group with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked deployed from the East Coast on June 1. The ARG consists of Wasp, USS New York (LPD-21) and USS Oak Hill (LSD-51).

The 24th MEU is composed of a command element, Battalion Landing Team 1/8, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 (Reinforced) and Combat Logistics Battalion 24 as the Logistics Combat Element.

In the Eastern Mediterranean

The Navy has two independently deployed guided-missile destroyers to the Eastern Mediterranean.

USS Bulkeley (DDG-84), homeported at Naval Station Rota, Spain. The destroyer is in port in Souda Bay, Greece

USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), homeported at Naval Station Rota.

In the Red Sea

Navy Quartermaster folds the national ensign aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Cole (DDG-67) in the Central Command area of responsibility on November 13, 2024. US Navy Photo

US ships continue to patrol the Red Sea as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian, the U.S.-led multinational effort to protect merchant vessels moving through the region. Houthi forces in Yemen continue to attack merchant shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, while US naval forces in the region have continued strikes against Houthi weapons that US Central Command says are a threat to naval and merchant ships. Houthi forces say they are targeting ships with connections to the United Kingdom, the US and Israel or visit Israeli ports.

Guided-missile submarine USS Georgia (SSGN-729) is operating in the Middle East. The Ohio-class submarine carries 154 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles as well as special operations forces.

As of Monday, the Navy has two independently deployed guided-missile destroyers in the Red Sea.

USS Cole (DDG-67), homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va.

USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109), homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Fla.

In the Persian Gulf

US Coast Guard Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters are forward-deployed to the region under Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA). PATFORSWA deploys Coast Guard personnel and ships with US and regional naval forces throughout the Middle East. Initially deployed in 2003 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, PATFORSWA is now a permanent presence based out of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

In the Indian Ocean

The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is operating in the Indian Ocean. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered Abraham Lincoln and its attached destroyers to remain in the region as regional conflict intensified, according to a Pentagon statement.

Carrier Strike Group 3

Carrier

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), homeported at San Diego, Calif.

Carrier Air Wing 9

The "Tophatters" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif.

The "Black Aces" of VFA 41 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.

The "Black Knights" of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314 – F-35C – from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif.

The "Vigilantes" of VFA 151 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.

The "Wizards" of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 133 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.

The "Wallbangers" of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 117 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif.

The "Rawhides" of Fleet Logistics Squadron (VRC) 40 Det. – C-2A – from Naval Station Norfolk.

The "Raptors" of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 71 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station North Island, Calif.

The "Chargers" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 14 – MH-60S – from Naval Air Station North Island.

Cruiser

The carrier strike group did not deploy with a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser. Instead, USS Frank E. Petersen, Jr. (DDG-121) assumed the cruiser role in the strike group, USNI News learned. USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112) is currently operating with the strike group but is an independent deployer.

Destroyer Squadron 21

Destroyer Squadron 21 is based in San Diego and is embarked on Abraham Lincoln.

USS O'Kane (DDG-77), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.

USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112), homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

USS Frank E. Petersen, Jr. (DDG-121), homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor.

USS Spruance (DDG-111), homeported at Naval Station San Diego.

USS Stockdale (DDG-106), homeported at Naval Station San Diego.

In Eastern Pacific

On Monday afternoon, USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), with the Carrier Air Wing 2 embarked, departed for a deployment from California.

Aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) departed to San Diego, Calif., on Monday, according to ship spotters.

Amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA-7) departed San Diego, Calif., on Tuesday, according to ship spot

Aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) arrived in Bremerton, Wash., on Tuesday, according to ship spotters.

In the Western Atlantic

Aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is underway conducting routine operations in the Western Atlantic.

Amphibious warship USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) returned to Norfolk, Va., on Friday, according to ship spotters.

Aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) returned to Norfolk, Va., on Saturday, according to ship spotters.

As for Russian naval assets, OSINT researcher Frederik Van Lokeren shared a map on X on Saturday. It highlights the locations of Russian warships across the Mediterranean (as of November 23). 

"A period of heightened activity has ended with the vessels all present in the port of Tartus. The exception being Stereguschy class corvette Merkury which was reported in the Skagerrak between Denmark an Norway. The vessel most likely departed the Mediterranean directly following her port visit at Algiers, Algeria, during the previous week. Her passage at the Strait of Gibraltar went unnoticed by OSINT sources," he wrote on his website "Russian Navy - News and Analysis."

President-elect Trump's victory signals one critical mandate the American people have with Washington elites is no more wars. Yet, the outgoing administration is doing everything possible to derail Trump's move once in the White House to end the war.