Russian strategic nuclear bombers threatened U.S. airspace near Alaska earlier this month and F-15 jets responded by intercepting the aircraft taking part in large-scale arctic war games, according to defense officials.
The Russian war games began the same day President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a frosty summit meeting in Mexico June 18.
U.S. officials said the arctic exercises over the Russian Far East and Pacific appeared to be a further sign of Russia’s hardening posture toward the United States.
The Obama administration made no protest of the bomber intrusions, according to the officials, in line with its conciliatory “reset” policy of seeking warmer ties with Moscow.
Canadian aircraft assisted. I assume they were F-18s rather than either F-15s or F-16s mentioned, since Canada has neither.
I think a Polar Command is in order.
UPDATE: It seems appropriate to note this Strategypage post again--and wonder if Russia really can stand up a ground unit capable of fighting in the Arctic.
UPDATE: We say we don't think this means there is any change in Russian attitudes:
SEC. PANETTA: Well, you know, I think we -- we continue to -- to be able to work with the Russians in a number of important areas. P-5-plus-1 is one area where we're continuing to work with them. We work with them on other issues. We maintain military-to-military relations with the Russians.
With regard to the -- the planes that sometimes peruse up in the north, this is not an unusual situation.
We -- we've oftentimes seen their planes come into that area, and I don't think we regard it as anything that is provocative at this point.
GEN. DEMPSEY: Yeah, and I'd add we -- you know, we have a very close relationship with Canada in terms of our -- our security to the north. And so from time to time, we assess whether we see this as in any way a change of some sort of message. And to this point, we haven't concluded that it would be any message of any particular kind.
Saying there is not unusual isn't as comforting as Panetta might think.
And no message? While our leaders met the Russians probed our air defenses? Well, to be fair, Dempsey just said no "particular" message. But it was a general "we're here and we don't particularly like you" message. That's not terribly comforting, either.
