For nearly a decade a resurgent Russia
has mounted a huge military build-up in
the north atlantic, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Arctic and the Black Sea. They want to be in control of those
waters for their own exclusive use, said Admiral Robert Burke adding we can't see
that to the russians.
Noting that russian aircraft overflew
u.s navy ships at dangerously low
altitudes during the recently ended Exercise Sea Breeze 21. Burke said they
were creating a tactical risk that could
morph into a strategic issue, and that's a big concern with this
increasing aggressiveness. He said adding
we're not going to flinch and we're not
going to take the bait.
Sea Breeze, a long-standing exercise in
the Black Sea to enhance
interoperability and capability among
participating forces in the region, has
grown from eight participants in 1997 to
32 this year.
The 2021 exercise included 5,000
personnel, 32 ships and 40 aircraft
supplied by from 17 NATO members, U.S Allies like Australia and partner
nations like Sweden and Senegal.
The Admiral praised U.S and Allied
commanders for their controlled reaction
to russian belligerents. When a strike aircraft overflies a
destroyer at 100 feet altitude, right
over top, Our COS are making a judgment
call of whether that strike fighter is
on an attack profile or not, said Burke
who is also commander of allied joint
forces command naples.
It could be argued that they're baiting
us into shooting first. We're not going
to do that first without provocation, but
i'm also not going to ask my commanding
officers to take the first shot on the
chin, he added without elaboration.
When officials notified russian
authorities about their plans three
weeks before sea breeze 21 began, the
russians reacted by closing off half of
the western part of the black sea and
announcing their own ship bombing
exercise.
If it wasn't so threatening, it would be
laughable, Burke told a live-streamed
edition of the united states navy
memorial's sit rep speakers series july
20th.
Such extreme bullying at other times has
led some smaller nations to avoid those
areas, which is exactly the behavior the
russians are seeking.
Burke said china acted similarly in the
south china sea. he said building
stationary aircraft carriers on coral
islands where ownership is disputed by
neighboring countries.
Elsewhere, he said the chinese communist
party's belt and road initiative is
seeking to expand its influence through
infrastructure projects, with financial
strings attached in 52 of africa's 54
nations. While chinese entities hold a
controlling interest in 15 european
ports.
