US sends F-22s to Middle East in response to
‘unsafe and unprofessional’ Russian air operations
By
J.P. LAWRENCE
STARS AND STRIPES • June
14, 2023
A U.S. F-22
Raptor conducts a combat air patrol mission over an undisclosed location in the
Middle East in 2019. On June 14, 2023, U.S. Central Command said F-22s have
been deployed to the Middle East following unprofessional actions by Russia's
air force in Syria. (Russ Scalf/U.S. Air Force)
The U.S.
military has deployed F-22 Raptor fighter jets to the Middle East, following
months of complaints that Russian aircraft have been buzzing U.S. bases in
Syria and violating protocols developed to prevent fighting between American
and Russian forces.
The deployment
of Raptors flown by the 94th Fighter Squadron out of Langley Air Force Base,
Va., comes in response to “increasingly unsafe and unprofessional behavior by
Russian aircraft in the region,” a statement Wednesday by U.S. Central Command
said.
“Their regular
violation of agreed upon airspace deconfliction measures increases the risk of
escalation or miscalculation," Gen. Michael "Erik" Kurilla, the
commander of CENTCOM, said in the statement.
Since late
February, fighter jets and surveillance drones from Russia have been flying
regularly above U.S. positions in Syria and sometimes have attempted to goad
American pilots into dogfights, U.S. generals have said.
“They're not
operating like a professional air force anymore,” Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich,
head of U.S. Air Forces Central, told Stars and Stripes in an interview last
week.
Some of the
Russian planes were carrying air-to-ground weapons as they flew over U.S. bases
and all were equipped with sensors that most likely are used to gather information
on U.S. positions, Grynkewich said.
Some 900 U.S.
troops are deployed to Syria in a mission focused on opposing the Islamic State
group.
Russian forces
are also in Syria, where they back the government of President Bashar Assad.
While Russian
and U.S. forces in Syria have both declared the need to defeat ISIS, their
backing of opposing Syrian groups has led to deconfliction protocols meant to
avoid a direct conflict that could lead to a larger war.
“Our No. 1
objective is of course to protect our troops, but close behind it is to avoid
escalation,” Grynkewich said last week.
A statement in
May by U.S. Air Forces Central said the deconfliction protocols include
agreements on areas where the U.S. and Russia have agreed to notify each other
prior to transiting. They also include details on standoff distances from
aircraft and ground forces, and an agreement not to conduct armed overflights
of ground forces.
In May, the
U.S. accused Russia of 85 protocol violations since March 1. Of those, 26 were
armed overflights.
Russian
military leaders, meanwhile, accuse U.S. pilots of violating agreements that
separate Syria’s airspace, the Saudi Arabia-based Al Arabiya English reported
June 1.
Grynkewich said
last week that Russian leaders have not been receptive to U.S. complaints
recently.
“They're not
reciprocating as they used to, so deconfliction doesn't work,” Grynkewich said.
“Then your next best bet is to make sure that you're in a position to defend
yourself.”
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