US Air Forces Central Command is in the preliminary stages of “prudent planning” for joint operations with Russia, including creating an integration center, if the current ceasefire agreement in Syria holds. AFCENT Commander Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian said during a Tuesday briefing that Russia and Syria need to “do the right thing” and keep the ceasefire for the rest of the week before the idea of joint operations could become a reality. The intelligence community is monitoring the cessation of hostilities and AFCENT is “developing processes to execute the mission, that is if we get that far,” Harrigian said. The “battlespace is complex” and AFCENT’s main priority is ensuring momentum continues and the countries inside of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve can retain “cohesion” in the future.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.