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"Good morning, American pilots. We are here to greet you on your Fourth of July Independence Day" - - this was the awe-inspiring message delivered by Russian nuclear bomber pilots to U.S. fighter pilots sent to intercept them off the U.S. Pacific coast earlier the month, the U.S. military was quoted as saying Thursday.
Two Russian Tu-95 "Bear" bombers were intercepted flying roughly 40 miles (64 kms) off the coast of the Western U.S. state of California on July 4, the U.S. Independence Day, a spokesman for the U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) was quoted as telling the U.S. cable news network the CNN.
The message was delivered by Russian pilots using an emergency aircraft communication channel, said the spokesman. The Russian bombers did not enter the U.S. airspace and the U.S. F-15 fighters tracked them until they turned around.
Two other Russian Tu-95 bombers were also intercepted off the southern coast of Alaska on the same day, according to the U.S. military.
While declining to describe the Russian move as a threat, the NORAD spokesman said the midair encounter was "potentially destabilizing," because the Russians did not issue a prior notice to the U.S. and the Tu-95 bombers are nuclear capable.
On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent an official message of congratulations to his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama for the July Fourth Day, in which he expressed confidence that the two countries could "find solutions" to international issues.
The U.S.-Russia ties have been severely strained over their rift over the crisis in Ukraine since late 2013, especially after Putin signed a treaty in March 2014 to integrate Crimea and its city of Sevastopol into Russia following a referendum. Ukraine and major western countries led by the U.S. have not recognized the move and imposed tough sanctions on Russia ever since.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military has publicly dubbed Russia, with one of the largest capable nuclear arsenals in the world, as the greatest security threat to the U.S., citing Russia's annexation of Crimea and threat to NATO nations on its borders.
"Russia presents the greatest threat to our national security," Joseph Dunford, Obama's nominee for the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee during his confirmation hearing on July 10.
"If you want to talk about a nation that could pose an existential threat to the United States, I would have to point to Russia," Dunford said. "And if you look at their behavior, it's nothing short of alarming."
Mark Milley, commander of U.S. Forces Command and the nominee for the next U.S. Army Chief of Staff, also told the Senate on July 22 that Russia is the only country on Earth that presents a nuclear existential threat to the U.S.
"I'd put Russia right now, from a military perspective, as our No. 1 threat," Milley told the Senate Armed Services Committee at his nomination hearing, during which he also expressed support to providing "lethal, defensive equipment" to Ukraine to counter Russia. Enditem
