The OP article also has the following interesting points
“They’re messaging us with these flights that they’re a global power — which shouldn’t be a surprise, we do that too,” Gortney said.
“My concern is, what is their intent if the situation escalates somewhere? How will they employ this capability?
“This is why this exercise is so important.”
U.S. military figures acknowledge at least 17 Russian military aircraft approached North American airspace in 2014, including bombers, tankers and fighters. Not all records of such flights are released.
The flights restarted in 2007 and recently increased, said U.S. navy Capt. Jeff Davis.
“We noticed an increase in the number of these flights near North America in 2014, which followed Russia’s incursion into the Ukraine and Crimea,” Davis said in an email. “Much of the increase in 2014 was due specifically to a spike in the summer that we assess is related to training.”
now for the other side of the coin:
Arctic Challenge Exercise: US-NATO Allies joint military exercise
Nordic air force exercises simulating a UN peacekeeping mission got underway in Sweden's sub-Arctic north on May 25, 2015, the Swedish armed forces said.
The war games - involving 115 fighter planes and 3,600 troops from nine countries - are being held under the auspices of Nordic military cooperation between non-aligned Sweden and Finland and their NATO neighbour Norway.
Russia responds to Arctic NATO drill
According to a Russian military source, the mobilization of the Arctic Brigade must be seen as a response to the ongoing NATO rehearsal Arctic Challenge, Vedomosti reports. The Russian Arctic Brigade is based in the Kola Peninsula and has a wide range of armament and military equipment at its disposal.
Britain sends biggest warship for NATO drills on Russian border
Britain is ramping up its military rhetoric, sending its biggest warship for NATO drills in the Baltic, right off the Russian coast, in this latest show of force. The drills kick off on June 5 and will last for two weeks.
The helicopter carrier HMS Ocean is expected to reach Russia’s city of Kaliningrad sometime this week, carrying aboard about 80 Royal Marines who are to join other NATO troops in Poland, the Sunday Times reports.
Russia Has Never Violated EU Borders During Drills – Former NATO General
In an interview with the German website Web.de, former NATO General Harald Kujat said that Russia has always remained within international airspace or international waters when carrying out "military maneuvers." Kujat commented on the situation surrounding Russia's allegedly increased military activity near the borders of a spate of European countries.
According to him, Russia is seeking to show that "it is here again," in military terms, and that it should be taken seriously. At the same time, Kujat added that Russia plans no attacks on European countries.
"I want to emphasize that Russia did not cross any borders. The Russian military has always remained within international airspace or international waters. Direct confrontation is outside [President] Putin's plans," he said.
Nato military exercises begin in Black Sea
BBC Video
Nato warships have begun military training exercises in the Black Sea, in international waters off the coast of Bulgaria.
The mission is aimed at reassuring its members in Eastern Europe in the face of Russia's increasingly unpredictable behaviour.
The Kremlin has accused Nato of "aggressive war games" and warns that its presence close to the Russian border could have serious consequences for the settlement of the Ukraine conflict.
Europe Correspondent Gavin Lee spent a day with Nato on one of the ships during their training mission.
--------
There are literally dozens upon dozens more. The US and NATO are right up on Russian's doorstep, especially with the Ukraine nightmare, and the 6 new, massive NATO bases in the Baltics and other Eastern European countries. If the shoe was reversed, the USA would be in full meltdown war fury. Putin is not a nice man, and has huge faults on some important issues, but he is also a iron-willed leader, with vastly superior vision to most other leaders into the multi-dimensional chess game we are all pawns in. This is one hornets nest NATO needs to keep hands off, IMHO.
= new reply since forum marked as read
