The Washington Free Beacon Two Russian strategic nuclear bombers entered the U.S. air defense zone near the Pacific coast on Wednesday and were met by U.S. interceptor jets, defense officials told the Free Beacon.
It was the second time Moscow dispatched nuclear-capable bombers into the 200-mile zone surrounding U.S. territory in the past two weeks.
An earlier intrusion by two Tu-95 Bear H bombers took place near Alaska as part of arctic war games that a Russian military spokesman said included simulated attacks on “enemy” air defenses and strategic facilities.
A defense official said the Pacific coast intrusion came close to the U.S. coast but did not enter the 12-mile area that the U.S. military considers sovereign airspace.
The bomber flights near the Pacific and earlier flights near Alaska appear to be signs Moscow is practicing the targeting of its long-range air-launched cruise missiles on two strategic missile defense sites, one at Fort Greely, Alaska and a second site at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
In May, Russian Gen. Nikolai Makarov, the chief of the Russian General Staff, said during a Moscow conference that because missile defense systems are destabilizing, “A decision on pre-emptive use of the attack weapons available will be made when the situation worsens.” The comments highlighted Russian opposition to planned deployments of U.S. missile defense interceptors and sensors in Europe.
The U.S. defense official called the latest Bear H incident near the U.S. West Coast “Putin’s Fourth of July Bear greeting to Obama.”
Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney, a former Alaska commander for the North American Aerospace Defense Command, said the latest Bear H intrusion appears to be Russian military testing.
“It’s becoming very obvious that Putin is testing Obama and his national security team,” McInerney told the Free Beacon. “These long-range aviation excursions are duplicating exercises I experienced during the height of the Cold War when I command the Alaska NORAD region.
McInerney said the Bear H flights are an effort by the Russians to challenge U.S. resolve, something he noted is “somewhat surprising as Obama is about to make a unilateral reduction of our nuclear forces as well as major reductions in our air defense forces.”
“Actions by Russia in Syria and Iran demonstrate that Cold War strategy may be resurrected,” he said.
“These are not good indications of future U.S. Russian relations.”
Pentagon spokesman Capt. John Kirby said the incident occurred July 4. He said the “out-of-area patrol by two Russian long range bombers … entered the outer [Air Defense Identification Zone]” and the bombers “were visually identified by NORAD fighters.”
Kirby said the bombers did not enter “sovereign airspace.” He declined to identify the specific distance the aircraft flew from the United States due to operational security concerns. He also declined to identify the types of aircraft used to intercept the bombers.
In last month’s intercept of two Russian Tu-95 bombers, U.S. F-15s and Canadian CF-18s were used. The most likely aircraft used in Wednesday’s intercept were U.S. F-15 jets based at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska.
Kirby and U.S. Northern Command spokesmen, apparently in line with the Obama administration’s conciliatory reset policy toward Russia, sought to play down both bomber intrusions.
The Pentagon spokesman said the latest Pacific intrusion was “assessed as another training activity.”
Rather than using traditional military terminology common during the Cold War to describe the meeting of the violating bombers as an “intercept,” Kirby said that the bombers were “visually identified” by jets described only as joint U.S.-Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) jets.
“NORAD is postured to ensure air warning and control for the continental United States, Canada, and Alaska,” Kirby said. “NORAD maintains an extensive radar system around North America and has aircraft located throughout the United States and Canada that can respond quickly to any unidentified flights approaching the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).”
Kirby said the ADIZ is extends about 200 miles from the coast and is “mainly within international airspace.”
“The outer limits of the ADIZ goes well beyond U.S. sovereign air space which only extends 12 nautical miles from land,” he said. “As part of its mission, NORAD tracks and identifies all aircraft flying in the ADIZ in advance of any aircraft entering sovereign airspace.”
The Free Beacon reported June 28 that two Bear H’s intruded into the Alaska ADIZ during war games that ended June 27.
A Northern Command spokesman later disputed the Free Beacon’s assertion that the bombers violated U.S. airspace and said the air defense zone is not the same as sovereign airspace since it includes international airspace.
However, the ADIZ is defined by the military as a nation’s declared area within which “the ready identification, the location, and the control of aircraft are required in the interest of national security.”
Canadian Navy Lt. Al Blondin also said in an email that the Russian bombers during the air defense intrusion last month did not violate U.S. airspace.
“NORAD will track and identify all aircraft flying in the ADIZ prior to those aircraft entering sovereign airspace,” Blondin said.
“It is important to note the Russian flights followed international flight rules and conducted their flight in a professional manner,” Blondin said. “As is their right, the Russian Air Force continues to fly in international airspace.”
Earlier, in response to questions about the Alaska Bear H intrusion, Marine Corps Col. Frank H. Simonds, Jr., deputy chief of staff for NORAD-U.S. Northcom, also defended the Russian bomber intrusion as nonthreatening.
“NORAD does not consider these flights a threat,” Simonds said, noting “Russia and NORAD routinely exercise their capability to operate in the North.”
Simonds identified the Alaska defense zone intruders as Tu-95MS bombers that were met by U.S. F-15s and Canadian CF-18s.
“Interaction between NORAD fighters with these types of aircraft are carried out routinely,” Simonds said. “As part of its responsibilities to identify all aircraft in its area of operation, which includes the ADIZ, NORAD has visually identified more than 50 Russian long range bomber aircraft over the last 5 years and NORAD fighters have been interacting with Russian aviation for over 50 years.”
Simonds said NORAD and Russian aircraft since 2010 take part in an exercise called Vigilant Eagle aimed at building cooperation on identifying and intercepting hijacked aircraft that cross international boundaries.
Last week, Rep. Michael R. Turner (R., Ohio), chairman of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, said the Bear H intrusions near Alaska showed Russia’s response to the administration’s reset policy. He said air incursions, along with threats to attack U.S. missile defense sites preemptively, were signs of Putin’s aggression in the face of President Obama’s promised flexibility in talks with Moscow.
The Alaska bomber flights coincided with a summit between Obama and Putin in Mexico June 18.
According to U.S. officials, some 30 bombers and support aircraft took part in the war games, including the Bear Hs and Tu-160 Blackjack bombers.
Russian Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Vladimir Deryabin, told reporters in Moscow last month that the arctic strategic war games “practice destruction of enemy air defenses and strategic facilities.”
This is little more than muscle flexing for the Soviets,.. Errr,… I mean Russians.
The fact is, these TU-95 Bears are slow moving, lumbering giants that would make wonderful target practice in the event of an actual confrontation.
The real concern if an all out confrontation were to occur, is ICBM’s
Although our antimissle batteries will display some effectiveness, the truth is,.. some of the warheads will get through as they will be launched en-mass should one get launched.
There is far more propoganda value to this kind of activity, than any real military importance, and would give it an entertainment value along the lines of the “Gong Show”.
If we are going to square off with Russia,… you will see it occur through a proxy state like say,… Syria.
When Syria, then Iran go hot,.. that is time to start to have some real concern as to whether the PIC’s (Pyscho’s-In-Charge) are going to elevate the confrontation to the next level,… State-To-State, Missile-To-Missle, Nuclear-To-Nuclear Upsmanship.
JD – US Marine – Aircraft/Missle Systems Specialist
I feel sorry for ALL Americans, they are still living in the past like 1940’s ! If the US attacks Iran Russia will be there & If the US uses NUKES I predict MILLIONS of Americans will die in US cities because there’s no of bomb shelters of any kind…The Zionist United States Government want to kill as many Americans as possible they DON’T give a DAMN & THEY DON’T VALUE HUMAN LIFE..its all a LIE WAKE UP PEOPLE & over throw the EVIL ZIONIST CONTROLLED AMERICAN GOVERNMENT.
Since the cold war ended, rather than get rid of NATO, the U.S. has expanded NATO right up to Russia’s borders. Then, the U.S. started deploying an anti-missile system right on Russia’s borders, obviously intended to undermine Russia’s nuclear deterrent or perhaps to mop up after a first strike. Clearly, the deployment of the so-called “missile defense system” on Russia’s borders is an aggressive act that the “U.S. government” would never tolerate if the shoe were on the other foot.
And all the while this is going on, the “U.S. government” is publishing papers indicating how it intends to rule the world.
And all the while this is going on, the U.S. launches a fraudulent “war on terror” as a result of a false-flag operation (9/11), whereby it asserts a “right” to attack anyone, anywhere at any time, for any reason.
And then the U.S. starts illegal, immoral wars of aggression against Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Libya, Yemen and God only knows where else.
Now, as I type this, the U.S. is engaged in a covert war against Russia’s ally, Syria, and threatening Iran.
All this unprovoked aggression by the U.S. rogue state, and yet the author of this article and the comment of the deluded “Marine Fighting Tyranny” try to frame Russia as somehow the “bad guy” in all of this?
Russia is sending a signal to the Jewish-supremacist-controlled U.S. government to “back off”. That’s what Russia is doing, and it’s about time.
The “U.S. government” would never tolerate anyone doing to it, what it routinely does to other countries and people, all over the world, on a daily basis.
If the U.S. doesn’t back off on its plans for world domination and control, we’re going to have WW3, and the U.S. is going to be reduced to a smoking ruin. And that’s what this is all about.
Dear Mr. Smith,
Although your anaylsis of the ultimate goals of our pyschotic gov’t are largely correct,… your insulting comments about me or Mr. Shivley are completely without basis and shows a possible alterior motive for those kind of comments.
I, nor Mr. Shivley (the probable author) have portrayed the Russians as the “bad guys” as per your claim.
In fact, what I stated is, is that this is normal muscle flexing, and what Mr. Shivley report on, is what the military counter-parts stated.
When I was in-service and on sea-service-deployment,.. it was normaly for our ships to get “bussed” by soviet aircraft, including by their TU-95 Bear, as we would do the same to their ships.
We would launch our aircraft to “escort” theirs. and they would reciprocate when we encroached on thier flotillas.
This kind of cat-&-mouse game also extended itself to territorial airspace encroachment.
99.99999% of this cat-&-mouse is never reported in the open media or ever makes the evening news.
As for your other comments,.. I whole heartedly agree. In fact I quite often state that the US fed gov’t is NOT an American gov’t,.. but an “Enemy Force In Occupation”, acting as a front organization for the International Banksters, Corrupt Corporations, Perfidious and Self-Seeking Politicians, Israel and of course, their CEO,… the Rothchilds.
This is why I clearly state, time and time again,… if we wish to save this country, we only have one REAL option:
It is time to abolish the US Federal Gov’t and ALL its criminal agencies,.. to the last, and RE-institute the US Constitution as the basis of our gov’t, as it is being completely ignored now as per intent by the PIC’s (Pyschos-In-Charge).
Hope this clerifies the intent of my orginal posting on this article.
Thank you – JD – US Marines – Fighting To Save What Is Left Of America
Good post, JD.
You started off with: “This is little more than muscle flexing for the Soviets,.. Errr,… I mean Russians”
How was I to interpret that statement? Invoking the “Soviet” metaphor, under the circumstances, is something our Masters routinely do to denigrate Russia whenever it takes some feeble step in support of its legitimate National interests.
And “little more than muscle flexing”? Russia has been under attack by the U.S. since the USSR collapsed. The whole world is watching the lawless, bankrupt, U.S. banana republic openly trying to conquer the Mideast and trying to do away with the concept of National sovereignty.
Likely this isn’t some adolescent “muscle flexing”, this is: do you realize you’re flirting with WW3?
Lastly you mentioned the U.S. “squaring off” against Russia in Syria. That’s like saying, “the rapist and the girl victim” are “squaring off” out in the street.” The choice of words and phrases you use determines how you come across; and that particular choice of words implies that the parties involved are on the same moral plane, which they clearly are not.
Harold Smith,
I know who and what you are, and that is the last word.
Ha ! Ha ! Thank you, Henry.
Iran and Syria are the line in the sand. Russia is uncomfortable about US Empire expansion.
There are other factors, at high levels, pertaining to USAP anti-ETV NLE (Neutrino Light Emission) targeting systems and other “Star Wars” “defense” structures.
At every level above average person, the US is forcing down a very dark path.
I think the point of the Russians action is somewhat being missed as their action would be to stay on edge of international airspace and outside of air defences on the ground and launch the cruise missiles so by the time they hit the detection zones they are hugging the ground and running silent.
Russia and America view their nuclear arsenals in different ways, Russia’s ICBM’s are mobile, completely undetectable up to the point of missile plume being detected post launch and America has admitted that it knows where between 1-5% of the launchers including submarines are at any time.
However, America believes in the silo’s and apart from its submarine capability, everything is static and Russia knows where everyone of those silos and air facilities are. This is a huge strategic advantage to the Russians who in a preemptive strike could have its birds flying quite a while before America realised it was the big one.
Of course when Russia realises that the US is simply not going to listen about its missile defence system on its doorstep, we will likely see the huge Russian compounds opened up again in Cuba, America cannot complain about Russia doing the same thing that America does and one of the complaints from Russia is that America can and most likely would site tactical nukes in the bases it sites the ABM systems and that is when we see Bay of Pigs round two.
@ Harold Smith: You stated “Russia is sending a signal to the Jewish-supremacist-contolled U.S. government…” I would like to remind you, or if you don’t already know, inform you that those same ‘Jewish supremacists’ are the ones who created Communist Russia in the first place. The top leaders of the Bolshevik Revolution, every last stinking one of them, were ‘JEWS’.( that is to say, at least they they were those ‘claiming to be Jews’, but do lie, as per Rev. 2:9 & 3:9. The Bolsheviks killed over 66 MILLION people, so that country’s got no sympathy coming from me.
Biblical Jews came from Egypt. Not Europe. Enough said. All these blonde hair, blue eyed “Jews” now living in Israel is what Revelations warned us about.
Israel is a failed state. All they to is cry and ask for more money from us Tax payers. I for one am sick of supporting these people with my taxes. We Americans have to worry about US, not them.
15 Trillion in debt. No money for our Education system, but we have all the money in the world to give to Israel and to buy worthless drones to fly around in circles over Florida. Just to keep those corporations that makes them in business.
The same corporation that bribed, I mean, donated to the same politicians that are pushing our Govt to buy these worthless drones.
It’s a shell game people. Get with the program already. I have difficulty controlling my effing anger because Americans are so damn gullible and naive that I’m just about to burst! I’m not even college educated and even I see the game being played on us. Think Chernobyl then think Fuk-u.
Interesting how we were able to intercept the Russians…. But we couldn’t stop 3 jets from crashing into the pentagon and the WTC which were flying in circles for 4 hours before the jets were programed to fly into the buildings.
Oh wait, that’s because it was an inside job. oops!
This is what I both feared and hoped for. This is symbolic, but not meaningless.
By using the old turkey planes, Russia is clearly showing that they are NOT attacking, at the exact same time they are saying TRY US. This is a brilliant way to send a message.
BTW, the U.S. is the only country that has such a wide buffer zone around its borders,
And I agree completely – Israel would LOVE to see America get nuked, they already robbed this nation of its wealth, and they HATE America because America dared to be free and did away with the slave trade the Zionists owned LOCK STOCK AND BARREL, despite their propaganda that it was Christians running the slave trade. It was not.
America was seen as a serious threat to the tyranny the zionists wanted to put in place, and therefore they destroyed the country. Americans are now clueless about what freedom really was –
NO PERMITS TO BUILD ON YOUR LAND; NO ZONING; NO LICENSES; NO BUSINESS REGISTRATIONS; JUST LIVE YOUR LIFE AND DO NOT BE A CROOK.
Americans now believe that Freedom is simply sex with whoever you want and little more, and THAT is tyranny´s dream come true. Hopefully Russia, which now has a clue will help us FIX THIS. Frightful thought indeed, because they would NOT return us to true freedom again, they are near as clueless as we have become!