Russia: We See You

Once again Russia is giving us a nudge. It almost feels like they are toddlers who are not getting the attention they want, so they have to make their presence known. Earlier this year, they attempted to approach a ship, now they are in the Alaskan air space.This isn't the first time this has happened either. They tend to come into the air space every 3-5 months or so. This time, two Russian Tu-142 maritime reconnaissance aircraft entered the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).The ADIZ is basically the airspace around the US and Canada that is monitored by civilian and military authorities of both countries. Ultimately, its a joint effort of security. Well, Russia apparently like to 'check-in' on this space pretty frequently.

According to joint authorities, NORAD intercepts an average of six to seven Russian intercepts a year. Last May, NORAD intercepted pairs of Russian bombers, two days in a row. During all the attempts, however, Russian aircraft never actually entered US or Canadian direct airspace.We have to ask, what is the play here? What is Russia's intention with all of these 'check ins'? In January, a Russian ship tried to deck check one of our destroyers. Again, they never actually hit the ship, just got dangerously close and made their presence known.This also comes after we talked about Russia coming between Turkey and Syria, here. Maybe they didn't learn when we ran their vehicles off the road last month in Syria?Does Putin feel left out with all of the coronavirus stuff going on? Are we not giving Russia enough attention these days?Between us and the Canadians, we escorted the Russian aircraft out of the ADIZ airspace this time. What should we do the next time Russia enters the ADIZ? Why are they making this a habit? What's next?[video width="1024" height="576" mp4="https://www.americangrit.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/DOD_107722289-1024x576-1769k-5e690aac96910.mp4"][/video]