NATO/RUSSIA: “NATO and Russian pilots are reviving a Cold War contest of nerves, increasing the risk that airborne close encounters could accidentally spark a conflict.
Over the past three years, the number of adversarial flights near the other side’s planes and ships have increased significantly. The tactic, usually meant as a show of force or used to test tactics, revives a dormant game of chicken long played by Soviet and North Atlantic Treaty Organization pilots.
It was a risky game: Aircraft sometimes narrowly avoided midair collisions, and opposing ships occasionally collided at sea. NATO officials now worry about a new phase of reckless gamesmanship and its consequences.
Concerns have risen to the point where they now figure large in conversations between NATO and Russia. The NATO-Russia Council, a body established in 2002 to encourage cooperation and consultation between Moscow and the alliance, is set to meet Thursday [7-13-17] to discuss large-scale Russian exercises in September. Western officials worry the exercises could lead to a new surge in midair incidents.”
-Nathan Hodge and Julian E. Barnes, “Russian, NATO Planes Play Risky Game Over Baltic Sea,” The Wall Street Journal online, July 12, 2017 10:00am