Washington Free Beacon, “The Bear at the Door: Russian nuclear bombers test U.S. air defenses in arctic war games during chilly Obama-Putin summit”:
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.
About 30 strategic nuclear bombers and support aircraft took part in the war games that continued through June 25. The aircraft included Tu-95MS Bear H and Tu-160 Blackjack nuclear-capable bombers, along with Il-76 refueling tankers, A-50 airborne warning and control aircraft, and Su-27 and MiG-31 jet fighters. Some 200 troops also took part in the Russian Strategic Aviation forces exercise.
A spokesman for the joint U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense command in Colorado Springs, which monitors air defense intrusions, had no immediate comment. A Pentagon spokesman declined to comment.
[…]
According to the defense officials, the arctic bomber exercises are part of Russian efforts to assert control over vast areas of the arctic circle that are said to contain large mineral and oil deposits.
Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney, a former Alaska North American Aerospace Defense commander, said the Russian exercises should be a concern.
“The Russians continue to exercise our air defense identification zone, which shows Mr. Putin loves to let President Obama know that they still have global capability,” McInerney said in an interview. “So much for reset.”
McInerney also said the Obama administration kept the encounter between the bombers and U.S. fighters secret because “they obviously don’t want the world to know that the exercise was done deliberately to coincide with the Obama-Putin summit.”
[…]
Defense officials said Russian bomber exercises highlight Moscow’s targeting of the U.S. missile defense base at Fort Greely, Alaska, one of two major ground-based interceptor bases that are part of a limited integrated missile defense system against North Korean and possibly future Chinese or Russian missiles.
Additionally, the bomber exercises raised concerns that Russia was simulating cruise missile strikes aimed at disrupting U.S. oil pipelines in Alaska. Currently, the state’s Trans-Alaska pipeline delivers more than 11 percent of U.S. oil.
The Russian bombers involved in the exercises are equipped with long-range precision-guided cruise missiles, including nuclear and conventional missiles.
[…]
A classified 2009 cable from the U.S. Embassy Moscow said Russia in May 2009 outlined its policy toward the arctic for 2020 and beyond, and said Moscow adopted a “cold peace” policy against Europe and the United States. It stated that the region will be used for strategic resources and that Moscow is seeking to claim exclusive control over an emerging northern sea route passage.
“The Arctic region, both within Russia’s legally clarified borders and in areas beyond, likely holds vast untapped resources of oil and gas,” the cable states. “While many Russian analysts are skeptical that any of these resources will be economically exploitable in the near future, the Russian leadership wants to secure sovereignty over these ‘strategic’ resources.”
As part of the arctic military expansion, Russia announced May 30 it was re-opening arctic air bases that had been closed after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
Sarah Palin, from her Facebook page:
On the campaign trail four years ago I talked about Alaska’s strategic location on the globe, the potential for future conflicts over arctic transportation lanes and resources, and the crucial need to keep our eye on Putin’s activities. Later I spoke out against Obama’s egregious decision to cut back Alaska’s missile defense systems. […] This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who was paying attention four years ago. Maybe now we should ask the President if this is what “more flexibility” means.
Wouldn’t it be wonderfully ironic if one day Tina Fey can see Russian missiles from her front porch?
(h/t JHo)
Does she still live in Nanny York? I’m pretty sure dumping Russian nuclear warheads there would run afoul of some Bloombergian rule or another.
Only if they’re carrying a payload of high-fructose corn syrup and sodium chloride, McGehee
So the reset button really did reset the calendar. All the way back to 1988!
Four more years of pounding on that reset button, and they might just be able to restart the calendar in 1866.
McInerney also said the Obama administration kept the encounter between the bombers and U.S. fighters secret because “they obviously don’t want the world to know that the exercise was done deliberately to coincide with the Obama-Putin summit.”
it’s just like in Dreams of My Drunk-Ass Daddy – he really believes he gets to create whatever narrative he wants screw the facts
Obama will be wearing sunglasses indoors and long-sleeved blouses to hide the bruises.
What Obama should do is unilaterally disarm, that will show Putin how lovable we are, and they’ll leave us alone and probably disarm themselves because of the example of love from the world healer.
It wouldn’t hurt to try, I’m almost pretty sure…
Same summit where The Fiction whispered “Let me just get past the election, bro, and I will totally like sell this racist craphole out?”
Statists always sell out their own people to the enemy in exchange for high positions in the New Order.
It’s not enough to merely take over the current system (especially if the proles resist): they’ve got to add betrayal to their many crimes.
Just ask the early ChiComs as the Soviets came pouring over the border: this wasn’t what they signed on for, but it’s surely what they’ll get.
And like it.
– As long as those 18 Boomers are afloat across the oceans of the world, each one holding 24 10 Megaton warhead missiles, they’ll be no Russki nukes in Nanny-York, or anywhere else on American soil.
– And should Bummblefuck be barking mad enough to try to shut them down he will discover first hand just how small and weak he really is.
VP ‘Plugs steals from RR:
Recovery must mean when Biden and Obama lose theirs, then.
Syria says “Oops!”.
And, well, you probably know the rest:
This whole middle east thing is getting equal parts fascinating and terrifying.
Sure is, Lee. Israel has been marshalling tanks along the Gaza Strip for a week or more.
I stumbled across an old Osterman article from February, one of his WH Insider pieces, and he has the WHI quoting Obama as saying “Fuck Israel”, just like Jimmuh Carter is reported to have said “If I get reelected, I’m going to fuck the Jews.”
“Wouldn’t it be wonderfully ironic if one day Tina Fey can see Russian missiles from her front porch?”
If she did she’d just blame Bush for it.
Russia Violates U.S. Airspace
Good thing the US isn’t Syria, in addition to not mistaking the Russkie planes for Israeli, yes?