SU-30SM, SU-35S, and SU-34 flying in formation - Sputnik International
Military
Get the latest defense news from around the world: breaking stories, photos, videos, in-depth analysis and much more...

What Lies Beneath Pentagon's Airstrikes, Overflights, Redeployments

© REUTERS / US Air ForceSix US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons from Aviano Air Base, Italy, are seen at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, after being deployed, in this US Air Force handout picture taken August 9, 2015
Six US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons from Aviano Air Base, Italy, are seen at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, after being deployed, in this US Air Force handout picture taken August 9, 2015 - Sputnik International
Subscribe
The hits, misses and dangerous redeployments of US combat aircraft are aimed at demonstrating Washington's military superiority over its potential geopolitical rivals, expert in political and military affairs Brian Cloughley emphasizes.

America "uber alles" ("above all") is the message of the Pentagon's recent hits, misses, provocative overflights and redeployments of US combat aircraft, expert in political and military affairs Brian Cloughley points out.

"For many years US combat aircraft have been involved in operations in far-flung areas of war and military confrontation. In recent months these have ranged from the multi-casualty destruction of a hospital in Afghanistan to «provocative» overflight in the South China Sea, by way of deploying fighter interceptor aircraft to Turkey to threaten Russia and the killing of ten Iraqi soldiers in airstrikes near the city of Fallujah," Cloughley writes in his article for Strategic Culture Foundation.

A member of Iraq's elite counter-terrorism service walks with his weapon on December 28, 2015 in the city of Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's Anbar province, about 110 kilometers west of Baghdad, after Iraqi forces recaptured it from the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group. - Sputnik International
US Spins Ramadi Capture as 'Vindication' for Failed Tactics in Daesh War
The expert drew attention to the fact that none of the Pentagon's latest operations have actually contributed to the security of the United States. Instead, they have been aimed at showing Washington's unchallenged dominance.

The bombing of a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) clinic in the Afghan city of Kunduz on October 3 and the killing of Iraqi soldiers near Fallujah on December 18 by the US Air Force has predictably remained unpunished.

"I hope Iraqis will understand that this is a reflection of things that happen in combat," US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said with no trace of compassion, concluding that "there are faults on both sides."

According to Cloughley, Carter's statement is a "shocking evidence" of "his indifference to other nations' pride and dignity," let alone "his complete lack of human feeling."

"Therefore, he [Ashton Carter] is ideally suited to direct the aggressive activities of the United States around the world. While the (admitted) recent hits and misses of US airstrikes in Iraq and Afghanistan resulted in the death of only a few dozen people — ten allied soldiers along with forty doctors and patients (but only three children, that time) — the confrontational antics of other of his combat aircraft are of wider international significance," Cloughley emphasizes.

Chinese dredging vessels are purportedly seen in the waters around Fiery Cross Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in this still file image from video taken by a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft provided by the United States Navy - Sputnik International
Asia
McCain Blasts Obama Administration for Lack of Action in South China Sea
But that is not all: on December 10 a US B-52H Stratofortress nuclear-capable bomber deliberately flew over Chinese-administered territory in the South China Sea.

The expert debunked a supposed pilot's "mistake;" the Pentagon's claims that it was bad weather that had contributed to the bomber flying off course sound ludicrous, since the plane boasts worldwide precision navigation capability.

"But Carter's Pentagon would have us believe that one of their mighty bombers whose task is to deliver nuclear weapons with pin-point accuracy can wander off a planned flight path," Cloughley remarks.

Fighters of the al-Qaida-inspired Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) parade in a commandeered Iraqi security forces armored vehicle down a main road at the northern city of Mosul, Iraq. (File) - Sputnik International
US Admits Inability to Defeat ISIL in 2016
Earlier, on November 6, the Pentagon deployed twelve F-15 fighter aircraft to the US airbase at Incirlik in southern Turkey, including six "air-to-air" combat jets to deliver "a pointed signal to Moscow that the US was prepared to assist Turkey in guarding its airspace against Russian incursions."

However, after Ankara shot down the Russian Su-24 in the Syrian airspace "there was a quiet announcement" that the F-15s were returning to their base at Britain's Lakenheath airfield.

All the hits, misses, overflights and redeployments are in fact aimed at demonstrating Washington's military superiority and total impunity to the international community.

"What is permissible for Jove is not permissible for an ox," as an old Latin proverb says.

Washington's provocative and irresponsible behavior complies with Barack Obama's concept voiced at West Point Military Academy last year: "America must always lead on the world stage. If we [the US] don't, no one else will."

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала