Conservative Refocus

By Barry Secrest

Coming on the heels of a recent report in which LA International Airport’s air traffic control data system was completely fried by a high-flying spy plane,  is a report from the AP, which articulates a massive build-up of Russian aircraft activity in the US-Pacific region.

The spy plane, which  supposedly grounded all passenger aircraft at LAX due to its unusually high altitude and vector, was a rather laughable explanation that simply didn’t work. Indeed, officials actually blamed a mystery US spy plane, which was later denied by local Air Force officials.

So, where did the mystery aircraft come from and how did it interrupt a major US air traffic control system?  The following  is “the rest of the story” from the Associated press.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The commander of U.S. air forces in the Pacific is reporting a significant increase in activities by Russian planes and ships in the region.

Gen. Herbert Carlisle linked that to the situation in the Ukraine. He said Russia was demonstrating its capabilities and gathering intelligence on U.S. military exercises.

Carlisle said there had been long-range Russian air patrols to the coast of California and a circumnavigation of the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam. He said a U.S. F-15 fighter jet intercepted a Russian strategic bomber that had flown to Guam.

He also reported a sharp increase in Russian air patrols around Japanese islands and Korea.

Carlisle said there was a lot more Russian ship activity too.

He was speaking Monday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.

As a side-note, a story published by The Daily Beast, regarding the US-Russian open skies treaty, may partially explain what the Russians are up to:

The Russians use the aircraft today to monitor U.S. nuclear weapons as part of arms control agreements between both countries. The Russian planes, according to U.S. officials involved in the dispute, contain a new sensor package that would allow Moscow to surveil American nuclear assets with a level of precision and detail that makes U.S. military and intelligence leaders deeply uncomfortable.

A slight bit of inference in light of recent developments, most notably at LAX, would seem to explain why certain US military officials, are now wary of Russian overflights.

The fact that a dangerous and intentional disruption of US air traffic, possibly by Russian aircraft, could be construed as an act of war, seems lost on both the US State Department and the “more flexible” Obama Regime.