Thursday, November 20, 2014

NATO Scrambles Jets 400 Times in 2014 Over Russian Activity

NATO warplanes have had to scramble 400 times this year in response to an increase in Russian air activity around Europe not seen since the Cold War, the alliance's chief said on Thursday.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization members have sought to fill gaps in the alliance's land, air and sea defenses since Russia annexed Crimea and backed a secessionist movement in the eastern part of Ukraine.

Speaking to U.S., German and Estonian troops at a newly expanded and renovated air base in western Estonia, which once housed a Soviet military installation, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the problem was not just where the Russians are flying but that they are not turning on their transponders or communicating.

He said the flights -- which have risen 50 percent over the last year -- posed a risk to commercial air traffic.

“This pattern is risky and unjustified, so NATO remains vigilant. We are here and we are ready to defend all our allies against any threats,” said Stoltenberg in a speech after meeting Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Roivas.

“It is a pattern which we have not seen for many years and it is a pattern that reminds us of the way they conducted these kind of military air activities back in the time of the Cold War,” he said.........................http://www.voanews.com/content/nato-scrambles-jets-four-hundred-times-over-russian-activity/2528363.html
20/11/14
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