Oh, wait. We don't, actually.
Posted on 06/26/2012 9:53:55 AM PDT by kristinn
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.
U.S. and Canadian F-15 and F-16 jets were involved in the intercepts that took place near the Air Identification Zone surrounding Alaskan airspace over the northern Pacific.
The exercises are part of increasingly aggressive Russian military activities in the arctic region in both the eastern and western hemispheres, which have created security worries among governments in northern Europe and Canada.
One official said the failure to publicize the threatening bomber maneuvers might have been related to Obama’s overheard promise in March to Russian President Dmitri Medvedev of “more flexibility.”
(Excerpt) Read more at freebeacon.com ...
At this point, the Administration’s incompetence is indistinguishable from corruption and treason.
‘...appeared to be a further sign of Russia’s hardening posture toward the United States.’
I dont think so. I believe they see an open opportunity to fill a power void created by Barry Soetoro. Their sense of smell is right on the money, the stink of weak, incompetent and dithering is wafting from DC in buckets. They’ve rightly measured Barry and he’s been found wanting. At this point I believe the only group still in the dark are his cheer leaders on the left. LOL, even they’re starting to figure it out. I think eventually Barry will have only that wonderful guy in the mirror to sing his praises.
Not only that; the Russians just can’t stand Communists!;)
Obama considers Arizona a much greater threat to his way of life than he does fully-loaded Russian bombers.
Oh, wait. We don't, actually.
I can not understand why the US dismantled the Nike/Hercules SAM sites around the US. Over 10,000 of them, unilaterally because the Russians to this day have S-400s and S-300s, the most advanced SAM in the world, circling every major potential target in Russia.
Well, the argument was cost and McNamara and his whiz kids not believing in Continental air defenses. Those Russian TU-95 Bears will appreciate that.
It's okay, we're playing laser tag on their asses from orbit.
(Well, they aren't exactly lasers, and it's not exactly orbit, but you get the idea.)
Hope that Eagle-driver is wearing his hearing protection!
“Well, boys, it looks like we’re going toe to toe with the Rooskies.”
—Slim Pickens, Dr. Strangelove
1. It was much more expensive than expected mainly due to the cost of procuring land for the bases. This led to the downsizing of the program at inception which in turn led to...
2. ...Accusations by both Congress and the Air Force that Nike was ineffective. These were essentially unfounded but were unfortunately irrefutable because the system could not be tested in situ. Army attempts to improve the system (Hercules, Nike-X and Zeus) caused the budget to bloat which in turn closed more sites and replaced Army crews with National Guard crews at many of the remaining sites. These changes caused even more concerns about the system's effectiveness. It was a vicious cycle.
3. You correctly indict McNamara and his Machiavellian strategy. Nixon's China engagement also factored in, as China was the intended "target" of the next-generation Nike system being deployed on his watch. Lastly, even the super-advanced and super-expensive Safeguard ABM system (Nike Zeus on steroids) would have been unable to counter the Soviet FOBS weapons then developing. The whole Nike program became a convenient bargaining chip during SALT-1. The rest is history, and the last US Nike site closed in 1980.
But the TU-95s are still out there.
Ah, it’s just Pooty-poot telling Obama he is pwn3d.
Vladimir Zhirinovsky is on record saying he wants Alaska back as part of Russia.
I’m sure Obama wouldn’t mind...
That’s cold-what have you got against Chance?
Nothing. I couldn’t find the one with Mitt.
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