On July 26, Viktor Chirkov, Russia’s Commander-in-Chief of the Navy announced that Russia would start building new aircraft carriers after 2020 . . . the Russian navy currently only maintains one aircraft carrier called the Admiral Kuznetsov . . . this aging ship was built in 1985 . . . Russia’s Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov had announced plans to build new aircraft carriers in 2011, but budgetary constraints delayed construction . . . the recent announcement by Russia comes during a period of major investment in military modernization . . . the Russian navy is expected to receive between 10 to 15 new warships this year . . .  $659 billion is expected to be spent on rearmament efforts in the next decade . . . the decision to build new aircraft carriers demonstrates Russia’s continued military build up . . . it also demonstrates a keen desire to enhance Russia’s ability to deploy airpower globally and to hotspots of concern.