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