Lakenheath F-15s Take Over Icelandic Air Policing Mission

July 8, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

F-15s from the 493rd Fighter Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom, have deployed to Iceland to take up the NATO Air Policing mission there for the second time in less than a year.

The three F-15C/Ds, plus an F-15E from the 493rd’s sister unit, the 494th Fighter Squadron at Lakenheath, arrived at Keflavik Air Base for the mission, which protects NATO’s airspace in the northern Atlantic. U.S. Air Forces in Europe, in a statement, said the tail swap typically occurs because of maintenance issues or similar factors.

While deployed, the Eagles will fly in Icelandic airspace for familiarization and will be certified by NATO’s Combined Air Operations Center to conduct the policing mission.

“NATO Air Policing in Iceland is another great example of how NATO allies and partners address security threats in a true team effort,” USAFE Commander Gen. Jeffrey L. Harrigian said in a release. “Our partners in the High North are essential to ensuring regional security, and we will continue to work together in the name of collective defense.”

The 493rd Fighter Squadron deployed to Keflavik for the air policing mission last fall. For this rotation, the F-15s are replacing F-35s from the Royal Norwegian Air Force that deployed to Iceland in February.

Also on July 6, four Turkish F-16s deployed to Malbork air base in Poland to work with the Polish air force “in securing skies in the region,” NATO said in a release.

“Across Europe, NATO fighter jets are on duty around the clock, ready to scramble in case of suspicious or unannounced flights near the airspace of NATO Allies,” according to the alliance. “This includes air policing missions in which fighter detachments rotate in and out of allied countries to help safeguard their skies. NATO scrambled its air forces across Europe more than 400 times in 2020 to intercept unknown aircraft—mostly from Russia—approaching NATO airspace.”

Biden: Afghanistan Mission Will End Aug. 31

July 8, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

The U.S. mission in Afghanistan will conclude Aug. 31 with almost all American personnel and equipment withdrawn from the country, said President Joe Biden on July 8. He also promised that Afghan interpreters will have a place in the United States after the U.S. leaves the country.

Biden said military commanders have requested a quick withdrawal, noting that “in this context, speed is safety.” On the ground, U.S. forces quickly retrograded, sometimes leaving major bases in the middle of the night.

“Thanks to the way in which we have managed our drawdown no one—no U.S. forces or any forces—had been lost,” Biden said. “Conducting our drawdown differently would have certainly come with increased risk of safety to our personnel. To me, those risks are unacceptable.”

Until the end of August, U.S. forces will maintain the same authorities they have had for “a while” to protect themselves and conduct airstrikes. Following that, U.S. officials are working with partner nations on ways to protect the international airport in Kabul and maintain a presence at the U.S. embassy in that city to protect the diplomatic presence.

The White House and the State Department are coordinating efforts to bring Afghan interpreters and translators out of the country on special immigrant visas, with flights beginning this month. Biden also called on Congress to change the special immigrant visa law to speed up the process and allow the interpreters to stay in the United States while they await their visas.

Biden said he wants to send the message that “there is a home for you in the United States if you so choose. We will stand with you, just as you stood with us.”

We will never forget those who gave the last full measure of devotion for our country in Afghanistan – nor those whose lives have been immeasurably altered by wounds sustained in service.

We are ending America’s longest war, but we will always honor those who served in it.
— President Biden (@POTUS) July 8, 2021

Pentagon spokesman John F. Kirby said in a July 8 briefing that the military’s role is identifying installations outside the continental United States that could house potential immigrants. This includes U.S. bases on the American territory of Guam and bases in which there is an American presence abroad. There is also potential to send the visa applicants to other nations unrelated to the U.S. military presence.

“There’s not one part of the world we’re solely focused on,” Kirby said. “It’s truly sort of a global look.”

So far, about 2,500 Afghan personnel have worked through the special immigrant visa process, with about half indicating a “willingness to move at this point,” Kirby said. The process is State Department-led and would likely use chartered flights to fly the personnel out of the country. The military does have “transportation capabilities” that could be used, but it appears unlikely airlift would be required.

Biden reiterated the U.S. military’s plan to maintain an “over the horizon” presence to conduct counterterrorism operations, though no specifics have been announced, and it’s not clear what nearby nations would host a continued American footprint. The “over the horizon” capability will “allow us to keep our eyes firmly fixed and act quickly and decisively if needed,” he said.

Kirby said the military plans to use “a range of [intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance] capabilities at our disposal” to keep watch over Afghanistan while also leveraging the “strong relationship” with Afghan forces who are continuing to fight on the ground.

The military is still figuring out how it will support the Afghan Air Force from outside the country while it’s also continuing to send more aircraft to the country. This includes two refurbished UH-60 Black Hawks with several more on the way, along with maintaining AAF Mi-17 helicopters, and three more A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft, Kirby said.

American forces over the past 20 years, “through great blood and treasure,” built up the Afghan National Self Defense Forces with aircraft, modern weaponry, and the training to use them, but the question remains: “Are they going to use that capacity?” Kirby said.

The U.S. mission in Afghanistan, to bring Osama bin Laden “to the gates of hell” and to prevent al-Qaida from being able to plan and launch attacks targeting the American homeland, had long been accomplished, Biden said, noting the withdrawal is long overdue. There is now no way to win the war militarily. Instead, a negotiated settlement is required.

“We did not go to Afghanistan to nation-build,” Biden said. “It is the right and the responsibility of the Afghan people alone to decide their future.”

Lawmakers React

On Capitol Hill, lawmakers shared mixed reactions on the announcement of ending America’s longest war.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said in a statement that it was a “critical step” to ending the conflict and that “certain problems” lack a purely military solution.

“It is now up to the Afghan people to decide their future as they continue to grapple with their ongoing civil war,” Smith said. “The Taliban poses a real threat to stability, but the Afghan National Security Forces are highly capable.”

Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), a former Green Beret who sits on the HASC, said he is encouraged to see the administration “finally begin to focus on evacuating Afghan interpreters, … but I fear time has run out” following a rushed withdrawal.

“Thousands of Afghan interpreters and their families eagerly await their fate while the clock ticks,” Waltz said. “As the Taliban continue to gain strength and ground, they are hunting down those who stood with America in our fight against global terror.”

Senate Armed Services Committee member Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said in a statement that Biden may have “set a deadline to end the war,” but al-Qaida and ISIS “don’t have deadlines when it comes to attacking American interests.” He warned that conditions are developing in the country for a re-emergence of those groups.

AFA Board to Delegates: Give Every Member a Vote

July 8, 2021 | By Tobias Naegele

AFA’s Board of Directors voted to approve new bylaws in a bid to strengthen organizational leadership and open voting to every member. The vote must be ratified by delegates to AFA’s convention in September for the changes to take effect.

“We voted to replace our complex and outdated Constitution with simplified Bylaws that will enable AFA to be more agile and responsive to opportunities and risks; more accountable to our members and stakeholders; and more effective in our mission to educate and advocate for American air power and space power and to support Airmen and Guardians and their families,” wrote AFA Chairman Gerald R. Murray, the 14th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, in a letter to members.

Murray said the proposed bylaws are needed for two reasons: First, to vest more responsive and accountable authority in the Board of Directors, which meets frequently throughout the year, rather than in a convention that meets annually; and second, to empower every AFA volunteer leader and member, whether Active duty, Guard, Reserve, civilian, or community and industry partner, by enabling them to elect Association directors.

The Board approved the changes June 23, and the vote to ratify will be held Sept. 18-19.

Murray said he intends to spend the summer raising awareness of the proposed changes and to fully inform all convention delegates and members about what’s at stake. He urged members and delegates to educate themselves by reading up on the details and reaching out to AFA leaders to share their views on the changes and gain a fuller understanding of the issues at stake.

He said all AFA members, including Active-duty Airmen, Guardians, and civilians, deserve an opportunity and should be directly involved in their professional association.

“Under our present construct, it is the Delegates, not the Board, that make the most momentous decisions for the Association,” wrote Murray, noting that delegates gather only once a year. “In the high-tech, fast moving, and dynamic society we live in today, that’s no longer good enough,” he said. “Our Association must be agile and adaptable, responsive to change and challenges.”

AFA President, retired Lt. Gen. Bruce “Orville” Wright, said giving every member a vote provides everyone a greater sense of ownership in the Association. “Today’s Airmen and Guardians offer a whole new perspective developed through decades of a dynamic, high-ops-tempo environment, including combat operations,” he said. “They know what works today and what doesn’t, what they need now, and what they’re going to need from their Association. Active duty and recently retired Airmen and Guardians are also the talent pool for current and future AFA volunteer leaders. They should have an active voice in the future of their professional association.”

AFA, like the military services themselves, must modernize, Murray said, invoking former Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III and quoting his advice to the Board from a year ago: “AFA is at an inflection point,” Welsh said then, before urging Association leaders to chart a new course to remain effective and relevant in the fast-paced future.

Murray said the new bylaws are long overdue. While a decline in membership has been arrested, growth has proven difficult, and he said the Association must diversify its income streams and its Board makeup by bringing in directors who can supplement the Board’s strengths with complementary skills and expertise.

“The Bylaws approved last week were crafted by a respected and experienced team of AFA leaders, aided by outside professional counsel,” Murray said. “The new Bylaws ensure volunteer field leaders continue to serve on and inform our Board [and] also enable AFA to attract new outside directors who can share expertise in business, academia, fundraising, and more.”

“Your Board stands strongly in favor of these changes,” Murray said. “Now we look to the delegates to affirm the Board’s decision to strengthen AFA, embrace all our members, strengthen our Board and governance, and build a strong future.”

GAO: Tie F-35 Buys to Operating Cost Improvement

July 7, 2021 | By John A. Tirpak

In the wake of threats by members of Congress to cut buys of the F-35 over its high sustainment costs, the Government Accountability Office is recommending that just such a course of action be considered until the fighter’s operating costs come under control.

In “F-35 Sustainment: DOD Needs to Cut Billions in Estimated Costs to Achieve Affordability,” the GAO recommends that the Pentagon get realistic about “affordability constraints” in the F-35 program so that the services—particularly the Air Force—don’t buy more of the fighters than they can pay to operate.

To that end, the GAO recommends holding off on declaring Milestone C—full-rate production—until the services and the Office of the Secretary of Defense develop a detailed plan for improving the F-35’s sustainment costs and living within their expected F-35 budgets. The plan should take a “risk management approach” that assesses the likelihood of success of various sustainment fixes, Congress’ watchdog agency said.

Members of both the House and Senate in recent months have suggested backing off F-35 purchases until the sustainment enterprise catches up to the demands of the extant inventory. Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.), chair of the House Armed Services readiness subcommittee, promised a “hell of a fight” if his colleagues moved to add extra F-35s to the Air Force’s budget beyond whatever it formally requested. In each of the past three years, USAF has included a dozen extra F-35s on its “unfunded priorities list,” a wish list of items not included in the formal budget request, and Congress has obliged. But for fiscal 2022, USAF conspicuously did not include F-35s in that document.

The GAO suggests DOD report to Congress annually on its progress in achieving F-35 goals within available funds and that it makes “F-35 procurement decisions contingent on DOD’s progress in achieving these constraints.” The GAO further suggests a new long-term plan be created on how to “afford to sustain the future F-35 fleet.”

While the F-35 has made gains in mission capable rates, the GAO said, these are still short of operator requirements.

Specifically, it noted, the average MC rate for aircraft in the F-35 fleet—indicating the jet can fly and do some of its multiple mission types—improved from 59 percent to 69 percent for all services from fiscal 2019 to fiscal 2020, while the average full mission capable rate—meaning it could do all of its assigned missions—rose from 32 percent to 39 percent over the same period.

The Air Force’s F-35A full mission capable rate was higher than that of all services—54 percent over that period—but the objective was 72 percent.

“Despite efforts to reduce costs” since 2012, the GAO said, the cost of operating the multiservice F-35 fleet increased from $1.11 trillion to $1.27 trillion, calculated over an expected 66-year service life for the program.

There’s “a substantial and growing gap” between what the services thought they’d spend on operating the F-35 and what it’s really costing, with that gap projected to be “almost $6 billion in 2036 alone,” the GAO reported.

If trends are not reversed, “the services will collectively be confronted with tens of billions of dollars in sustainment costs that they project as unaffordable during the program,” the agency said.

In the Air Force’s case, it needs to cut annual estimated sustainment costs per tail by $3.7 million. Otherwise, in 2036 alone, “it will incur $4.4 billion in costs beyond what it currently projects it could afford.”

The Air Force has upset some members of Congress by pushing to divest some of its aircraft in order to pay for development of new ones. In the fiscal 2022 budget request, USAF proposes cutting more than 100 aircraft to save $1.4 billion for research and development.

Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. recently said he’s contemplating using the F-35 only for “high-end missions” as one way to reduce its operating costs.

The Air Force’s F-35 operating costs were actually lower than those of any of the other services in fiscal 2020 at $7.8 million versus $9.1 million for the Marine Corps F-35B, $7.9 million for the Marine Corps F-35C, and $9.9 million for the Navy F-35C, the GAO said, based on data it obtained from the F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Office.

But because the Air Force has so many more F-35s than the other services, the cost gap adds up much higher. The GAO projects that USAF will have 1,192 F-35As in 2036. If it’s still paying $3.7 million more to operate each one per year than it forecast, that adds up to the $4.4 billion deficit in 2036. Including the other services, that F-35 sustainment deficit comes to about $6 billion, the report said.

“Without assessing cost-reduction efforts and program requirements (such as number of planned aircraft), and developing a plan prior to declaring Milestone C, the DOD may continue to invest resources in a program it ultimately cannot afford,” the GAO asserted. If Congress insists on a performance improvement report and “making F-35 procurements contingent on achieving affordability constraints,” that would improve the Pentagon’s accountability and spur “appropriate actions” to sustain the fleet, the agency said.

In a lengthy response, the JPO said the GAO’s report contained “no surprises” and that the situation is “well known” to the services, the defense industry, and F-35 international partners. The Pentagon “partially concurred” with all the GAO’s recommendations, and the JPO will implement them, it said. The non-concurrences focused mainly on things the Pentagon said it is already doing that would fulfill GAO’s intent and noting that it still doesn’t know when Milestone C will come because of unrelated issues having to do with integrating the F-35 into the Joint Simulation Environment wargaming tool.

The JPO did not directly address the GAO’s numbers but said the situation is not as dire as it may look. It asserted that in base year 2012 dollars, F-35 operating and sustainment costs have grown only seven percent, or $42.8 billion, and that these numbers are verified by the Pentagon’s Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office.

Moreover, the JPO said GAO is using long-term projections that may not pan out or are due to recent changes. The “end of operations” of the F-35 has been extended from 2064 to 2077, the JPO said, and this has added 23 percent to program operating and sustainment costs. Meanwhile, an increase in numbers of aircraft to be bought, from 2,443 to 2,456, drove another half-percent increase in operating and sustainment costs, while flying hours have been raised from 14.9 million to 15.6 million, accounting for another five percent increase. Aircraft operating years have risen from 56,445 to 60,767, driving a further eight percent increase in operating and sustainment costs.

The JPO said it recognizes that F-35 users “don’t have unlimited funds” and is doing all it can to cut costs.

“Signs of progress” cited by the program office include a decrease in USAF flying hour costs from $37,000 to $33,600 in fiscal 2020. The JPO has also previously pointed out that it has sharply accelerated the number of depots servicing the F-35 and that the full planned number of depots will be up and running six years ahead of schedule.

Rep. Turner Warns US Missile Defense Slipping Behind Russia’s Capabilities

July 7, 2021 | By Abraham Mahshie

The list of Russia’s “exotics”—its most modern nuclear weapons systems—is worrying members of Congress.

Skyfall is a nuclear cruise missile that can orbit the Earth. Poseidon is a submarine-launched, nuclear-capable torpedo that can emerge from beneath the waves and strike coastal cities. And Russia is the only great power now fielding hypersonic weapons, with China close behind and the U.S. throwing billions of dollars behind an effort to catch up within the next decade.

Fundamental to protecting against these threats is fully funding America’s missile defense capabilities, argued the ranking member of the House Armed Services subcommittee on strategic forces, Rep. Mike Turner, (R-Ohio).

“When you look to what our adversaries are doing, we have to be concerned about leapfrog technology,” Turner said at a Hudson Institute discussion on missile defense July 7.

“Russia has actually fielded the hypersonic technology. China has been developing hypersonic technology,” he said. “We don’t have in place what is necessary to ensure that we both even up on the sensing side and the response side … to defend against such weapons, and at the same time we’re not fielding them ourselves.”

Turner called on the Biden administration to complete and make public its missile defense review. He also pointed a worried finger at the President’s proposed flat defense budget request for fiscal 2022.

In it, nuclear modernization is fully funded, but the Pentagon’s missile defense priorities are less certain, he indicated. Turner called it a “void” that allows for great power competitors Russia and China to possess weapon systems that the U.S. does not yet possess. But catching up comes with a price tag.

The Defense Department’s answer to the threat of missiles that travel five to 16 times the speed of sound is the Next Generation Interceptor, a $3.7 billion program not set to come online until the end of the decade and primarily designed to target toward rogue actors such as Iran and North Korea.

A DOD official told Air Force Magazine the NGI could still be developed earlier.

“NGI’s emplacement date is 2028, but they expect the competition inherent in having two contractors working on the program will ultimately mean an earlier deployment,” the official said.

However, Russia’s development of nuclear-armed cruise missiles means a nuclear threat does not necessarily come only from an intercontinental ballistic missile.

“The proliferation of missiles and missile technology by our adversaries, and really from all powers around the world, shows that there should be an increased focus on missile defense, not just for being able to respond to ICBMs,” Turner said.

He highlighted American missile defense systems—the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD), Aegis Ashore, and Patriot—saying recent rocket attacks on Americans stationed in Iraq and Syria demonstrate that if the U.S. is to be globally deployed, so, too, must sufficient missile defense systems to protect troops.

“Not implementing an active missile defense system or policy is almost immoral because you’re saying that you’re going to leave both your populations, your infrastructure, and your critical capabilities at risk,” the Ohio Republican said.

Turner also warned the Biden administration not to negotiate away America’s missile defense in arms-control negotiations with Russia.

“Let’s just loosely translate what that means: Russia says, ‘I don’t want you to have missile defense because I want it to be easier to bomb you.’ I don’t know how that can be influential to anybody,” he said.

Russia in recent years has increased its missile defenses on the eastern flank of NATO, with S-400 systems in the Baltic ex-clave of Kaliningrad and more recently on the occupied Crimean peninsula. Russia nonetheless has heaped heavy criticism on Romania’s deployment of Aegis Ashore.

Romanian officials insist that the NATO system operated by the United States is directed toward threats emanating from North Africa and the Middle East, not Russia.

Poland, too, is building an Aegis Ashore system, but it is not designed to counter Russia, either, a DOD official told Air Force Magazine:

“It is designed to protect NATO allies and U.S. deployed forces against ballistic missile threats emanating from outside the euro-Atlantic region,” the official said. “It is not designed to counter Russia’s strategic forces.”

Turner said adversaries are spending heavy on new weapons systems that challenge current American missile defense systems. The American missile defense budget, in turn, must keep up.

“What we need to look at are the threatening systems that Russia is now deploying—the ‘exotics,’ as people call them. [Russians] have not merely modernized their system—they have deployed weapons unlike anything that anybody has ever seen before,” Turner said. “They show an intent that is not just deterrence.”

Two Injured in Rocket Attack at Al-Asad

July 7, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

Two U.S. troops were injured when rockets hit al-Asad Air Base, Iraq, on July 7, the latest in a series of rocket and small drone attacks on American positions inside the country.

Fourteen rockets impacted the base and its perimeter, and “force protection defensive measures were activated,” Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Col. Wayne Marotto said in a statement. After a full accounting, two personnel sustained minor injuries. Overall damage is still being assessed, he said.

“Each attack against the [Government of Iraq], the [Kurdish Region of Iraq], and the Coalition undermines the authority of Iraqi institutions, the rule of law, and Iraqi national sovereignty,” Marotto said. “Coalition forces are co-located with our ISF and Peshmerga partners on ISF bases. Each attack against the Coalition endangers the lives of ISF and Peshmerga forces.”

On July 6, explosives from drones impacted the Erbil International Airport in Kurdistan, which houses U.S. troops, Marotto announced on Twitter. No casualties or damage was reported. The day before, an armed drone was shot down over the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

Al-Asad was targeted again on July 5, with three rockets impacting the base perimeter. However, no injuries or damage was reported in that attack.

The series of attacks represent an increase in hostilities likely from Iranian-backed militias following the June 27 U.S. airstrikes on three militia facilities on the Syria-Iraq border. USAF F-15E and F-16 aircraft hit buildings where militias were building and storing the small drone weapons used to attack U.S. and partner bases.

A militia leader vowed a response to the strikes, which killed four members of Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, The Associated Press reported.

Al-Asad is the site of the January 2020 Iranian ballistic missile attack, in which more than 100 U.S. troops sustained brain injuries.

MacDill Opens Its Gates as Elsa Heads North

July 7, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., cleaned up limited flooding and debris after then-Hurricane Elsa passed through early July 6 and headed north into Georgia and South Carolina.

After the storm passed the Gulf Coast base, MacDill moved to “recovery operations” for several hours to clean up before lifting its hurricane condition and fully reopening. The base had sent its KC-135s to McConnell Air Force Base, Kan., in anticipation of the storm.

The storm made landfall at MacDill as a Category 1 hurricane but has since been downgraded back to a tropical storm as it moved north through Florida’s panhandle and inland, where it was expected to continue to lose its intensity.

The storm passed through Moody Air Force Base, Ga., during the afternoon of July 7. The base was expecting strong winds and heavy rain, with a flood watch for the area, but it did not disclose if it moved any aircraft in advance of the storm.

“The safety of our Airmen and their families is our top priority,” said Col. Russell P. Cook, 23rd Wing commander, in a release. “I encourage everyone to take precautions, have supplies ready, and take care of each other.”

Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., posted warnings urging personnel to prepare for potential flooding on roads in and around the base.

The National Hurricane Center reported Elsa would carry heavy rainfall and potential flash, urban, and river flooding through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. The storm will carry heavy rainfall across the Northeast and New England through the end of the week.

Three C-130s Now Fighting California Fires

July 7, 2021 | By Brian W. Everstine

A third specially equipped Air Force C-130 joined firefighting efforts in California this week as flames burned in five large fires in northern California.

The latest Modular Airborne Firefighting System-equipped C-130H from the Nevada Air National Guard’s 152nd Airlift Wing began operating out of the former McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, Calif., on July 5. The C-130 flew three of the 13 total MAFFS retardant drops that day.

“It’s an honor to do this mission—we take it to heart,” MAFFS Mission Commander Capt. Jennifer Kanakis said in a 1st Air Force/Air Forces Northern release. “We’re responding with urgency to help suppress the fires.”

MAFFS 8 joined MAFFS 9, another C-130H from the same unit, and MAFFS 6, a C-130J from the California Air National Guard’s 146th Airlift Wing.

As of July 6, the aircraft have made 52 drops on five fires, dropping more than 152,000 gallons of fire retardant.

The five fires are part of the Salt Fire north of Redding, the Lava Fire near Mount Shasta, and the Dotta Fire north of Portola. Two had been suppressed with the help of the aircraft: the Tangle fire north of Tangle Blue Lake and the Juniper Fire in far northeast California, according to 1st Air Force.

The first C-130 was activated June 29 to start fighting the fires. The aircraft are equipped with the MAFFS, which is a roll-on system with a 3,000-gallon tank that shoots water or retardant from the rear parachute door.

Russia Simulates Bombing Exercise in Black Sea as NATO, US Forces Exercise

July 6, 2021 | By Abraham Mahshie

Vladimir Putin is not happy about recent American and NATO exercises in the Black Sea, ordering the bombing of simulated enemy ships and conducting aerial denial tests in a region he believes to be within Russia’s sphere of influence. And Pentagon spokesman John F. Kirby says that’s just fine.

“I know of no infringement on our ability to exercise in Sea Breeze by Russian activity,” Kirby said of the two-week exercise hosted by Ukraine that concludes July 10.

The U.S. and Ukrainian navies, including Airmen from the 7th Special Operations Squadron, 5,000 military personnel, 30 ships, and 40 aircraft from the U.S., Ukraine, and NATO ally and partner nations, are helping to strengthen Ukraine’s capacity to protect its territorial waters after losing 70 percent of its naval fleet to Russia in 2014.

The 7th SOS conducted coordinated operations with Ukrainian and British counterparts to support maritime and ground forces. U.S. aircraft also conducted intercept and formation training together with Ukrainian and British fighters.

As to whether Russia announced their aggressive exercises in advance or created a deconfliction channel, Kirby referred Air Force Magazine to Moscow.

Meanwhile, on July 2, NATO partners Greece, Romania, and Turkey participated in air defense exercises in the Black Sea. The U.S. maintains a steady rotational presence in the countries of the Black Sea in order to deter Russian aggression. Crimea is just 200 miles from NATO shores.

Two NATO air policing fighter jets are on constant standby at Romania’s Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base, an air base subsidized by American European Deterrence Initiative funding and used by some 200 American troops on rotation in the country.

“Joint air policing missions contribute to the development of response and deterrence capacity,” the Romanian Ministry of Defense told Air Force Magazine in a statement about the role of its F-16’s.

The July 3 Russian exercise with Sukhoi fighters and bombers practiced missile and bombing strikes against mock enemy vessels, according to Reuters. Only days earlier, al Jazeera reported that Russia tested its S-400 air defense systems, part of the anti-access and area denial system placed on the heavily militarized Crimean peninsula.

Russia’s aggressive response is in addition to a massive disinformation campaign that portrayed the American ships as entering Crimea’s territorial waters in a provocative way.

Kirby said the naval exercises have been operating in international waters.

“It’s a defensive exercise, and it’s one of the most robust Sea Breeze exercises we’ve conducted to date,” he said. “We are proud of the interoperability and the capability that it’s showing that we can have with international partners in that international seaway,” he said.