WASHINGTON, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- A senior U.S. Navy official said Friday that the U.S. 2nd Fleet will expand its operation space past the Arctic Circle and reach close to Russia.

"A new 2nd Fleet increases our strategic flexibility to respond - from the Eastern Seaboard to the Barents Sea," Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson said aboard the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush, which is currently at Norfolk in the U.S. state of Virginia.

"Second Fleet will approach the North Atlantic as one continuous operational space, and conduct expeditionary fleet operations where and when needed," Richardson said.

The U.S. 2nd Fleet, which traditionally covers the Western Atlantic, was deactivated in 2011 after the Pentagon decided it was too expensive to sustain a fleet to cover an area that has remained largely peaceful.

Richardson in May announced that the Pentagon will reconstitute the 2nd Fleet, and with his latest signal Friday the fleet is set to play a bigger role in the U.S. Navy.

Vice Admiral Andrew Lewis, commander of the 2nd Fleet, said that the expansion of the fleet is an embodiment of the national defense strategy released earlier this year, which stressed "great power competition."

Former Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work told U.S. media that to bring U.S. warships to Russia's doorstep will curb its ability to maneuver its submarines in open water, which can threaten the U.S. Navy.