Russian Attack Jet Flies Within 30 Feet of a U.S. Navy Destroyer Donald Cook

Games of “chicken” between military opponents are not unusual, but the most recent actions by Russian warplanes show the level of disrespect and disdain they have for our military. With Obama at the helm, who could blame them? He has earned zero respect from the international community and other foreign military forces.

In one of the most aggressive actions in recent memory, Russian warplanes conducted “simulated attacks” on the a U.S. Navy vessel in the Baltic Sea on Tuesday, repeatedly flying within 30 feet of the ship, according to a defense official.

Sailors aboard the destroyer Donald Cook said the aircraft flew low enough to create wake in the sea waters surrounding the ship, and the ship’s commanding officer said the incident was “unsafe and unprofessional,” the defense official said.

“This was more aggressive than anything we’ve seen in some time,” according to the defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because U.S. officials have not officially disclosed the incidents.

Sailors aboard the ship described the Sukhoi Russian Su-24 as “wings clean,” meaning there were no visible bombs or armaments on the aircraft, the defense official said.

The nature of the overflight as a “simulated attack” may violate a 1973 treaty between the U.S. and Russia that specifically prohibits this type of maneuver, the defense official said.

Shortly after leaving the Polish port of Gdynia, near Gdansk, on Monday, the Donald Cook at was sea in international waters conducting flight operations with a Polish helicopter, part of routine joint training exercises with the NATO ally.

During those flight operations, a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 combat aircraft appeared and conducted about 20 overflights, coming within 1,000 yards of the ship at an altitude of about 100 feet, the defense official said. In response, the commander of the Donald Cook suspended flight operations.

The ship’s commander repeatedly tried to make radio contact with the Russian aircraft but received no response, the defense official said.

After a formal investigation, the incident may prompt the U.S. government to formally lodge a complaint — or “demarche” — with Moscow, the defense official said.

While Russian aircraft during the past couple of years have conducted numerous aggressive overflights that Navy officials deemed “unprofessional,” the incident on Tuesday was the first to be deemed “unsafe,” the defense official said.

In 1973, the United States and the Soviet Union signed a treaty aimed at preventing incidents at sea. That treaty specifically prohibits “ simulating attacks,” according to the U.S. State Department’s website.

So the response by the Obama administration, if it responds at all, will be to lodge a “demarche,” and that will be it. Had we shot the plan out of the sky, Putin would have understood and recognized that his power play had failed. But with Obama at the helm, almost any indignation is excused and non-action believed to be a valorous display of restraint. The problem in dealing with tough guys like Putin is they must continue to up the ante until someone calls their bluff. Obama will never do that.

Back in January, a US Air Force reconnaissance plane was intercepted by a Russian jet over the Black Sea. The plane was flying over international waters, so the Russians had no reason to pick a fight with it. This was provocation, plain and simple, borne of a feckless Obama policy of appeasement and retreat abroad. No action was taken against the Russian jet.

Recently, two Russian warplanes flew within a mile of the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, which was sailing in international waters east of the Korean peninsula, and four Navy fighter jets were launched in response to the threat. Nothing of significance occurred to let Russian know this would not be permitted.

And last year, Russian bombers crossed into U.S. and Canadian airspace more than 16 times, with no U.S. response.

It would appear that Obama subscribes to the belief outlined in George Orwell’s classic 1984 that “strength is weakness” and so he refuses to recognize that his weak and force-less responses to threats from enemies such as Russia only embolden them and in no wise will promote the cause of peace. In fact, it will simply encourage our enemies and show that we are unwilling or unable to defend ourselves, and will certainly diminish our stature as a world power for many years to come.

Source: militarytimes.com