Thursday, November 13, 2014

Putin Sends Russian Bombers To “Patrol” Near the USA In The Gulf Of Mexico

Putin Sends Russian Bombers To “Patrol” Near the USA In The Gulf Of Mexico

ZPutinObamaIn November, 1962, the United States hurled closer and closer to the brink of mutually-assured nuclear annihilation with the Soviet Union. Our Democrat president, John F. Kennedy, demonstrated U.S. foreign policy weaknesses with such disasters as the Bay of Pigs fiasco and the Soviet Union, noting the inherent weakness in the Kennedy Administration, moved in to establish nuclear missiles 90-miles off our shores in Cuba.
 
Though that crisis thankfully abated with a backroom deal to remove missiles from Turkey, a new Russian threat has emerged: Russian long-range bombers will soon be circling the skies near American airspace in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.
 
As Russia continues to eye Ukraine, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated, “Over the last few days, we have seen multiple reports of large convoys moving into Eastern Ukraine. We assess that this significant military buildup includes Russian artillery, tanks, air defence systems and troops.”
 
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu denied the aggressive build-up, but did note that Russia intends to beef-up forces around the globe. He announced that long-range bombers would be conducting flights along Russian borders and into the Arctic Ocean and also noted, “In the current situation we have to maintain military presence in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific, as well as the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.”
 
He also promised that long-range planes would conduct “reconnaissance missions to monitor foreign powers’ military activities and maritime communications.”
 
This would be a first for such an aggressive maneuver as Russian long-range bombers have never routinely been tasked with flying in these areas- not even during the Cold War.
 
Russian bombers equipped with nuclear warheads had made treks over the Atlantic and the Pacific and gotten close enough to launch a strike, but such hostility has not occurred since the fall of the Soviet Union.
 
Though this heightened aggressive posturing should alarm Defense Department officials, the Pentagon has maintained a tranquil tone with regards to Russia’s belligerency.
 
Yahoo News reports on the Obama Administration’s response: 
Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, declined to call this a Russian provocation. He said the Russians have a right, like any other nation, to operate in international airspace and in international waters.
 
The important thing, Warren said, is for such exercises to be carried out safely and in accordance with international standards. 
It seems that like the Soviet leaders in 1962, Vladimir Putin smells weakness coming from the Obama Administration. Will this be another showdown?

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey testify before the House Armed Services Committee on the Administration's Strategy and Military Campaign against Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)


Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey testify before the House Armed Services Committee on the Administration's Strategy and Military Campaign against Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) at 10 a.m. EST, Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2118, Washington, District of Columbia.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work has no public or open media events on his schedule.

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict Michael Lumpkin, Deputy Director for Politico-Military Affairs (Africa) Maj. Gen. James Lariviere and Joint Staff Surgeon Maj. Gen. Nadja West testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the topic of "Combating Ebola in West Africa: The International Response" at 10 a.m. EST, Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2118, Washington, District of Columbia.

Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Alan Estevez and Vice Admiral Mark Harnitchek, Defense Logistics Agency testify before the House Armed Services Committee Oversight and Investigations committee on the 1033 program and the issue of militarization of police at 4 p.m. EST, Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2118, Washington, District of Columbia.

Commanding General, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick hosts a media roundtable on the topic of "USACE Response to Climate Change" at 1 p.m. EST, 441 G Street N.W., Washington, District of Columbia.



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What frightened the USS Donald Cook so much in the Black Sea?

What frightened the USS Donald Cook so much in the Black Sea?

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This article was first published by Voltairenet in other languages in September 2014.
The State Department acknowledged that the crew of the destroyer USS Donald Cook has been gravely demoralized ever since their vessel was flown over in the Black Sea by a Russian Sukhoi-24 (Su-24) fighter jet which carried neither bombs nor missiles but only an electronic warfare device.

This video shows the USS Donald Cook sailing into the Black Sea to position itself near Russia’s territorial waters.
On 10 April 2014, the USS Donald Cook entered the waters of the Black Sea and on 12 April a Russian Su-24 tactical bomber flew over the vessel triggering an incident that, according to several media reports, completely demoralized its crew, so much so that the Pentagon issued a protest [1].
The USS Donald Cook (DDG-75) is a 4th generation guided missile destroyer whose key weapons are Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers, and capable of carrying nuclear explosives. This ship carries 56 Tomahawk missiles in standard mode, and 96 missiles in attack mode.
The US destroyer is equipped with the most recent Aegis Combat System. It is an integrated naval weapons systems which can link together the missile defense systems of all vessels embedded within the same network, so as to ensure the detection, tracking and destruction of hundreds of targets at the same time. In addition, the USS Donald Cook is equipped with 4 large radars, whose power is comparable to that of several stations. For protection, it carries more than fifty anti-aircraft missiles of various types.
Meanwhile, the Russian Su-24 that buzzed the USS Donald Cook carried neither bombs nor missiles but only a basket mounted under the fuselage, which, according to the Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta [2], contained a Russian electronic warfare device called Khibiny.
As the Russian jet approached the US vessel, the electronic device disabled all radars, control circuits, systems, information transmission, etc. on board the US destroyer. In other words, the all-powerful Aegis system, now hooked up - or about to be - with the defense systems installed on NATO’s most modern ships was shut down, as turning off the TV set with the remote control.
The Russian Su-24 then simulated a missile attack against the USS Donald Cook, which was left literally deaf and blind. As if carrying out a training exercise, the Russian aircraft - unarmed - repeated the same maneuver 12 times before flying away.
After that, the 4th generation destroyer immediately set sail towards a port in Romania.
Since that incident, which the Atlanticist media have carefully covered up despite the widespread reactions sparked among defense industry experts, no US ship has ever approached Russian territorial waters again.
According to some specialized media, 27 sailors from the USS Donald Cook requested to be relieved from active service.
Vladimir Balybine - director of the research center on electronic warfare and the evaluation of so-called "visibility reduction" techniques attached to the Russian Air Force Academy - made the following comment:
"The more a radio-electronic system is complex, the easier it is to disable it through the use of electronic warfare."

A video presentation of the US Aegis system. Currently installed on the most sophisticated US Navy warships and in the process of being set up throughout the entire range of NATO naval forces, this missile defense system was completely knocked out in the Black Sea by a Russian electronic warfare device.

Visual display of the incident.
[1] “Pentagon Protests Russian Jet Buzzing Antimissile Ship in Black Sea”, Global Security Newswire, 15 April 2014.
[2] Rossíyskaya Gazeta, 30 April 2014 edition.

Russian Aircraft Flies Near U.S. Navy Ship in Black Sea

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Russian Aircraft Flies Near U.S. Navy Ship in Black Sea

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 14, 2014 – A Russian attack aircraft repeatedly flew near the USS Donald Cook in international waters in the Black Sea on April 12, a Pentagon spokesman said today.
Click photo for screen-resolution image
Sailors man the rails as the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook arrives at Naval Station Rota, Spain, Feb. 11, 2014. Donald Cook is the first of four Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers to be stationed in Rota. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Edward Guttierrez III
  

(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.
The USS Cook was patrolling in the western Black Sea when an unarmed Russian Su-24 Fencer attack aircraft repeatedly flew near the Navy ship, Army Col. Steve Warren told reporters.
“The aircraft did not respond to multiple queries and warnings from Donald Cook, and the event ended without incident after approximately 90 minutes,” Warren said. “This provocative and unprofessional Russian action is inconsistent with international protocols and previous agreements on the professional interaction between our militaries.”
Two Russian aircraft were present, but only one took part in the provocative actions, Warren said. The aircraft flew from near sea level to a couple of thousand feet, he added, but never overflew the U.S. Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.
“The Russian plane made a total of 12 passes,” he said.
The wingman stayed at a considerably higher altitude, Warren said.
Officials later said the aircraft approached within about 1,000 yards of the ship. The USS Cook was never in danger, Warren said.
“The Donald Cook is more than capable of defending itself against two Su-24s,” the colonel said.
Warren said he does not think this is an example of a young pilot joyriding. “I would have difficulty believing that two Russian pilots, on their own, would chose to take such an action,” he said. “We’ve seen the Russians conduct themselves unprofessionally and in violation of international norms in Ukraine for several months, and these continued acts of provocation and unprofessionalism do nothing to de-escalate the situation in Ukraine, which we called on the Russians to do.”
The Cook arrived in the Black Sea on April 10. The ship is now making a port call in Constanta, Romania.
(Follow Jim Garamone on Twitter: @GaramoneAFPS)

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Pentagon Protests Russian Jet Buzzing Antimissile Ship in Black Sea

Pentagon Protests Russian Jet Buzzing Antimissile Ship in Black Sea

The Pentagon on Monday criticized a Russian jet's repeated buzzing of a U.S. antimissile ship sailing in international waters in the Black Sea.
The action happened on Sunday and involved a nuclear-capable -- but unarmed -- Su-24 fighter aircraft that made a total of 12 flying passes close to the Aegis-equipped USS Donald Cook while it conducted patrol operations in the western Black Sea, the Defense Department told reporters.
"The aircraft did not respond to multiple queries and warnings from Donald Cook, and the event ended without incident after approximately 90 minutes," department spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren was quoted as saying in a Pentagon press story. "This provocative and unprofessional Russian action is inconsistent with international protocols and previous agreements on the professional interaction between our militaries."
A second Su-24 accompanied the first Russian fighter jet but did not make any passes, Warren said.
The U.S. missile destroyer was redeployed to the Black Sea in recent days in accordance with the Pentagon's efforts to assure NATO members and other countries of a U.S. commitment to their security. The ship's deployment comes amid continuing tensions with Russia over Moscow's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and suspected involvement in insurgent actions in the eastern part of the country.
The USS Donald Cook is home-ported in Rota, Spain, and is the first of four Aegis ships slated for deployment in the Mediterranean as part of the U.S. contribution to NATO missile defense.
"The Donald Cook is more than capable of defending itself against two Su-24s," Warren said.
The Russian defense ministry last week spoke out against the deployment of the warship to the Black Sea, saying it demonstrated that U.S. antimissile systems in Europe are aimed at undermining Russia's nuclear deterrent.
Warren suggested the Su-24 pilots were acting with some form of approval from the Russian military. "I would have difficulty believing that two Russian pilots, on their own, would choose to take such an action," the spokesman said.

Ukraine Crisis: Russian Su-24 buzzes US Destroyer USS Donald Cook

ACT OF WAR: Russians Disable U.S. Guided Missile Destroyer in the Black Sea

ACT OF WAR: Russians Disable U.S. Guided Missile Destroyer in the Black Sea


(by Kurt Nimmo, Infowars) -- The USS Donald Cook was disabled while on patrol in the Black Sea by an unarmed Russian bomber.
A Russian Su-24 buzzed the ship and “disabled all radars, control circuits, systems, information transmission, etc. on board the US destroyer. In other words, the all-powerful Aegis system, now hooked up — or about to be — with the defense systems installed on NATO’s most modern ships was shut down,” reports the Voltaire Network.
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The guided missile destroyer represents the cutting edge of U.S. military technology. It carries Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers, missiles capable of carrying nuclear explosives. The ship carries 56 Tomahawk missiles in standard mode and 96 missiles in attack mode. It is also equipped with the latest Aegis Combat System.
The Aegis Combat System is an integrated naval weapons system manufactured by Lockheed Martin. It uses sophisticated computer and radar technology to track and guide weapons to destroy enemy targets.
“The State Department acknowledged that the crew of the destroyer USS Donald Cook has been gravely demoralized ever since their vessel was flown over in the Black Sea by a Russian Sukhoi-24 (Su-24) fighter jet which carried neither bombs nor missiles but only an electronic warfare device.”
Prior to the incident in the Black Sea, the Russian defense ministry complained about the deployment of the warship. The ministry said it demonstrated that U.S. antimissile systems in Europe are aimed at undermining Russia’s nuclear deterrent.
Russia has condemned the placement by NATO of a radar in the Czech Republic and ten interceptors in Poland.
Russia is also sending a message in the wake of the United States and NATO decision to confront it over its alleged role in the crisis in Ukraine. This message could not be more blunt – Russia has the capability to shut down the most technologically advanced aspects of the U.S. military machine, including its ability to launch nuclear missiles.