Pavel, I realize your comments were “tongue in cheek”. Surely you recognize with the vast confines of Mother Russia, there is no reason for the Kremlin to ever train its bombers in international air space. The flight of the Tu-95MS is puzzling however. What actual purpose did it serve? What was Russia trying to say with this immense display of power? One thing seems to be clear, you certainly scared the Canadians. Or, at least, hurt their feelings.

Frank Shuler
USA

"Make a fuss" is about right.

I'm from Canada, where Stephen Harper leads a minority government in parliament, and has faced some significant political challenges recently.

Caught flat-footed by an economic downturn he originally claimed Canada would escape, he's been forced to run large deficits for the foreseeable future--not much fun for a supposed "fiscal conservative."

To re-create an image of strength, and to satisfy some members of his political base, he's been chest-thumping and "getting tough" on some non-economic files (e.g. organized crime, gangs, the military).

Arctic sovereignty is another file on which the Conservatives have staked their political reputation, so the Defence Minister's claim that Canadian jets had made the Russians "back off" and "turn tail" fits into the Conservatives' political narrative of "standing up for Canada."

I agree with you that it's cynical and quite possibly dangerous. Recent political events in Canada, however, have shown that Harper and his crew will say and do almost anything--up to and including provoking a national unity or constitutional crisis, as they nearly did in December--to hold on to power.

Raising international tensions over nuclear patrols for reasons of short-term domestic political gain is well within their pattern.

Do American B-52 bombers train in international air space 190 kilometers from the Russian coastline? I’m curious. There is never a story in the Western press about Russian MIG-29s (or a couple of Sukhoi's) being launched to “friendly escort” American bombers away from Russian territory. Is this because the Pentagon does not engage in such training? Or, does it occur, yet, is not reported in the press? Thoughts?

Frank Shuler
USA

Frank, the goal of the flights is to train for navigating in the arctic during a time of war, ie: when satellite navigation may have been knocked out. In such a situation, it does not make sense to train in your own backyard.

Training is meant to be as realistic as possible, and realistically, the purpose of the strategic bombers is to fly to within range of their targets in CONUS and release their payload. You train for this, not for flying aimlessly in a circle over Russia.

Now, I'm pretty sure Russia informs all countries near the flightpath weeks if not months prior to takeoff, so its not like the Canadians woke up to red alert signals going off, their radar screens full of enemy blips, and them thinking the baloon had gone up and WW3 was on.

Frank: As far as I understand, U.S. bombers do not do it these days. But they certainly did it in the past (and occasionally went into Soviet airspace). Again, I'm not saying that this practice makes much sense (although if you want to train your pilots to fly over the pole, you want them to fly over the pole, not over Siberia). But what the Canadians did is just plain irresponsible.

Oleg

Please excuse my silly attempt at humor. I agree completely with your remarks about crew training and the right of any nation to fly in international air space. As Stephen stated, this entire episode seems to have been completely overblown by Ottawa; more for local political consumption than any true international crisis. I think the current Canadian government will use this “situation” to press for additional military assets in the Arctic region.

As Shakespeare would say, “Much ado about nothing”.

Frank Shuler
USA

In fact Pavel, the United States lost aircraft and crews over the Soviet Union at times during the early Cold War. I was amused by your article title, “Canada doesn’t like Russian bombers”. So, other than Russia, who exactly does like Russian bombers? Belarus doesn’t count!

What did the Canadians do that was so irresponsible? They scrambled fighters to “escort” the Russian Bear on its way home. Sounds like sensible crew training by Ottawa as well.

Frank Shuler
USA

Frank,

Regarding US bomber sorties, we have not conducted these types of flights since the end of the Cold War. Russia, on the other hand, has re-started the last few years as a visible symbol of her military resurgence.

Pavel,

While I understand your POV on the subject, it appears you are not looking at the incident as part of a larger geopolitical picture. Since Russia "claimed" the arctic regions a few years ago, tensions with Canada have sharply spiked. Canadian anxiety over any Russian military moves in the Arctic should be understandable when put into that context.

I am certainly not saying that the Harper government did not overreact, or use the incident for political advantage, only that Russia should not be given a pass for her actions contributing to tensions with Canada.

A further oddity to this story is that McKay, the Canadian Defence Minister, has claimed that the Russians have refused to give advance warning of this type of mission:

Mr. MacKay said the Russians have turned a deaf ear to his request for advance notice of such near incursions.

"It's not a game at all … I have personally asked both the Russian ambassador and my counterpart [in Russia] that we are given a heads up when this type of air traffic is to occur, and to date we have not received that kind of notice."

Stephen Harper, the Prime Minister, raised the level of rhetoric even higher, referring to Russian "aggression" in the Arctic:

"They are testing our airspace more frequently than they have been doing in a long, long time," he told the Journal. "It's the aggression in the Arctic, aggression more generally, an aggression that is increasingly troublesome just to be troublesome."

One military spokesperson, on the other hand, has downplayed the incident, claiming that the Russians hadn't broken any rules--certainly nothing that would count as "aggression":

Gen. Renuart said, however, that Russia has not broken international rules or entered the internal airspace zones of Canada or the United States.

"The Russians have conducted themselves professionally; they have maintained compliance with the international rules of airspace sovereignty and have not entered the internal airspace of either of the countries [US or Canada]."

I've already mentioned the domestic political reasons Harper might have for playing up this episode, but there is another possible angle, too: a few weeks ago, there was speculation in Canada that Peter McKay might be interested in replacing Jaap de Hoop Scheffer as NATO chief.

Perhaps the tough talk from McKay is his rather clumsy way of campaigning for the job.

The US has something like 800 bases worldwide, a number of which essentially surround Russia - Germany, Japan, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, plus many others within striking distance.

They don't need to do long range bomber patrols from the US, because they are already in range.
They do however carry out many training exercises - most recent is in integrating B2's with the new F-22's.

As for Canada, I think you will find they were the first ones to make bellicose noises about the arctic, & to state they are forming new fast reaction forces to 'defend' their claims...

KenMac

I strongly agree with your premise.
The US and Russia are on completely different footings when it comes to power projection. The flight of Tu-95's is barely a blip on the screen when compared with 750+ bases on foreign soil, 12 carrier battlegroups, and the conversion of the Army and Air Force to expeditionary forces.

KenMac

The number of bases used to support American bombers is rather short. In the United States proper there are only three such air bases. In Europe, only RAF Fairford in Britain supports bombers. Such aircraft sorties in the Middle East fly from Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and from one unnamed base. (Most think it’s in the UAE but I think Oman). The only Pacific base that now supports bombers is Anderson AFB on Guam.

You could certainly make the case that F-15E Strike Eagles with B-61s at RAF Lakenheath could threaten Russia but most of the F-16 tactical aircraft in, say, Germany don’t have the reach to be much of a threat. And, the B-61 nuclear gravity bombs at Lakenheath have been removed. I am assuming you are referring to the US posing a nuclear threat to Russia.

Of course, the integration training between the B-2 and the F-22s are more of the battlefield interdiction scenarios than a nuclear strike mission. Training of using the capacities of both platforms to electronically control battle space, gather data and link intelligence, and take down air defense systems; ECM stuff.

I think for the most part, the US doesn’t actively train our bomber force against Russia today because we don’t see a threat. The Cold War’s over.

Frank Shuler
USA

I'll be honest I really don't see what the Canadians are so upset about? There are NATO bases in the FSU states, and I don't see the Canadians complaining. Yet a couple of ancient Bears on a routine training flight raise such a shitstorm.

Pavel, would you like B-2's exercises close to russian borders? Don't you think, these Russian flights - as they are - are very unfriendly?

Frank,

"Is this because the Pentagon does not engage in such training? Or, does it occur, yet, is not reported in the press? Thoughts?"

Of course it will be much easier for Western countries to live with weak Russian army and not having sufficient training Russian pilots, crumbling planes and decaying in docks subs.

I think US have wide choice (Iraq, Afghanistan, partially Pakistan) of places to conduct training in 'field conditions' without doubts and risks that will surely accompanies any mission near Russian borders. On other hand, there's some memories of US U-2's and "photo-balloons", invading not neutral air space, but undoubtedly well mapped, well known and clearly belonged to another state air space in some time ago. Maybe something with China's Red Flag of stars and stripes flies right now over Moscow? Let's blame Moscow for this!

I remember report about plane crash on Hudson river and it's pilot, Chesley Sullenberger, - I was impressed by his skill and he have forty years of flying, including time when he was military pilot. I wonder, was he in his military years 'a home-stayer' and received restrictions about entering NEUTRAL air space or even crossing it, while carefully 'poking' at someone's missile defense for gathering intelligence?

Russian pilots not entered borders of Canada, nor have they intention of scaring Canadians. It simply was a training in neutral zone, no more and no less, and not the last one, because pilots without sky is not pilots. It's time to scrub off the rust from the wings.

Shrike

[Of course it will be much easier for Western countries to live with weak Russian army and not having sufficient training Russian pilots, crumbling planes and decaying in docks subs.]

I’m not sure the United States sees Russia exactly like that. The Kremlin still has more nuclear weapons that the rest of the world combined. Geography will always mean Russia is a major European and Asiatic power with broad interests and ambitions. There will be many issues where the United States and Russia will find agreement and others where we will disagree. This is to be expected. Washington and Moscow will always have a competitive relationship, adversarial at times. But, I don’t see Russia as an enemy; nor does the United States.

Frank Shuler
USA

Pavel,

Russians are well known for committing murderous crimes throughout their history. It is not possible, even in theory, for Canadians to be worse or less responsible than them.

I'm from Canada and believe me, we're just as baffled as everyone else about this. Judging by reader comments on the CBC and such, most people seem to be in agreement that this is just a political stunt for the conservatives to make themselves look strong and pretend they're actually doing something about arctic sovereignty. A story like this takes peoples minds off the economic troubles too. Who cares about unemployment when we've got Russian nuclear bombers closing in on Obama!

Really though, Russia didn't do anything wrong here unless they did fail to inform the Canadians/NORAD of their training in advance, which I doubt.

Re: Jim Hansen: We can see how these things work - it started from two bombers flying in international airspace and now the conversation moved to the Russians being "murderous criminals". (I will not continue this thread - one example is enough.)

Jon Grams

I honestly wish someone would post a list of these 750+ US bases scattered around the world. Ramstein AFB in Germany is a good example. It’s either one big base or 70 if you count the various reporting units. Does a three-man meteorologist station there constitute an American “base”? The US Air Force supports aircraft on only seven airbases in Europe. I think that is a better definition of a “base”; something that everyone can relate to.

By the way, the US Navy only has eleven carriers in the fleet and one is always in nuclear overhaul with ten available for fleet duty.

Frank Shuler
USA

I like that: Russian bombers on the loose, but it is Canada that is irresponsible. Is it not a bit like saying that the USSR behaved irresponsibly when it was attacked by Germany on 22 June 1941?

Russia [like the USA, 9-11 Pearl Harbor 1812] has had times where almost out of the blue [pardon the pun, Hitler- Bonaparte- the Fins I think] they've been attacked, so I can understand them "keeping their military prepared". Let's all hope & pray these ARE needless excercizes. It is a little disconcerting that in the 21st century, people are still argueing over where borders are, but I'm a romantic. After Bush, the world has a right to be paranoid of our abilities, just like after communism & the cold war, the world has just cause to be concerned about Russian military power.

About Canadian politics, I know next to nothing. I do envy their national history of peace, lets hope that spreads to all nations.

The Russians, like all other sovereign nations, have a right to conduct military exercises in international airspace. America has done it for many years and it's no big deal! Why all the fuss? Chill out men and consider beautiful women! That we can all agree on. Regards, Hans-US Navy veteran in New England

In my view the great deal is the possibility that Russian air force manage to find some gaps in Canadian Air defence, that could undermine the reasonable policy of reciprocal fear to go into nuclear exchange.
In fact I imagine that air defense has been modernized further, but this means more money and more human resources in a difficult moment for canadian economy, so this provocative flight has been not without consequences for Canada and its citizens