Coalition Jets Will Do Seemingly Anything to Stay Away From Russia in Western Syria
For the record, I don’t care what hay the GOP candidates likely may or may not make of this. I do very much care about taking down ISIS. I care a little bit about Assad actually stepping down, quite concerned about what or whom might next be in charge.
It’s a damn dangerous farce to have strategic opponents in the same airspace. Live fire on a confusing battlefield of rebels, jihadis and civilians in and among strategic opponents is extremely dangerous and highly unlikely to end well.
…More telling evidence that the airspace over Syria remains a conflicted and dangerous mess emerged this week in the form of a video of French Rafales carrying SCALP EG cruise missiles for strikes. And make no mistake – it’s a mess seemingly dictated by Russian action and coalition reaction.
…We also know that Royal Air Force aircraft fly from Cyprus, over the eastern Mediterranean, and then through Turkey before entering Syria. This inconvenient route avoids the heart of Russia’s air power and air defenses, as well as a Russian air defense capable cruiser on station off Syria’s coast.
With all these factors in mind, when it comes to the air war over Syria, Russia is largely the one deciding who, or at least what, goes where—even if indirectly. This is not a good development for the U.S. and its allies, especially after almost a year and a half of operations over Syria. It also underlines that to the coalition, Russia does indeed pose a threat to its manned aircraft.
Whether this is due to a perceived lack of restraint and quality command and control capability on behalf of Russia’s military, or downright malice, remains unclear.
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