Why the bombers keep coming

Reporter confronts Putin about spy poisoning. Theresa May: UK will expel 23 Russian diplomats. Suspected Russian spy worked inside US embassy.

Putin appoints Steven Seagal for diplomat job. Russia releases video of new nuclear weapons. Russia denies involvement in poisoning attacks. May: Nerve agent poisoning deeply disturbing. Investigators: MH17 downed by Russian missile. Daughter of poisoned ex-spy: Lucky to be alive. Russia blames Israel for strikes on Syria.

Why Hungary is looking more and more like Russia. Russia retaliates, expels 60 US diplomats. Russia votes: How the day unfolded. How do you become president of Russia? Story highlights Russia is trying to reassert its presence on the international stage, an analyst says U. July Fourth message not the first from Russian bombers. In both instances, American fighter jets flew up to intercept the Russian bombers, and the aircraft turned away. CNN looks at the significance of the Russians' actions.

Read More. So why is Russia doing this? The current muscle flexing is all part of Putin's push to make sure Russia gets the respect it deserves, de Larrinaga said, and demonstrate that it's "still a global military power and a force to be reckoned with.

For U. Adam Kinzinger, an Air Force veteran, the Tu bombers' visit should be seen as "an act of aggression" intended to convey the idea of Russian might. Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican who previously sat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, compared Putin to a school bully, saying, "Sometimes a small kid in class is the biggest bully.

Not all the airplanes went to the boneyard. The digital twin will be used to develop structural repairs and capabilities improvements for the remainder of the fleet. Once everything of value is removed from them, the aircraft will be scrapped. The Air Force has not said exactly when it plans to retire the remainder of the operational B-1B fleet. The first of those aircraft is expected to fly in mid Mark D.

Skip to content. Air Force photo by Clay Cupit. Expand Photo. Expand Comments. The Bomber Task Force Europe mission included a targeting activity using conventional and precision-guided munitions…. Bob Menendez D-N. The New Jersey Democrat…. The Air National Guard badly needs to modernize its fleet, not only for operations in the homeland but also for its warfighting mission, the head of the National Guard said Nov. Army Gen. Because each of these flights prompts a flurry of headlines form major media outlets, many Americans have taken to dismissing these flights as so commonplace they hardly warrant the webspace.

Likewise within the military, conducting frequent intercepts of Russian aircraft can leave some pilots and commanders increasingly complacent about the threat these aircraft potentially pose.

Imagine a bear breaking into your trash can every couple of months. You might even set up cameras and invest in some bear-spray you can use to deter the bears from coming back.

After years of dealing with the same bear digging through your trash, you would likely stop seeing the bear as a threat to your safety and adopt a more neutral approach to rolling your eyes and swearing under your breath every time it comes lumbering up to your old trash can. The bear itself is no less dangerous to you than it was the first time you saw it and panicked, but your perception of the bear has shifted.

You may even start to ignore it from time to time. That unintentional complacency brought about through familiarization will leave you less primed to react if the bear suddenly does pose a threat to your safety. The slight delay in your response, brought about by complacency, could be all the bear needs to do some real damage. The same can be said about Russian Tu Bear bombers. Letting your guard down is a constant concern for service members on the front lines of any conflict.

Military protocol is one powerful tool in the fight against complacency, because it mandates a threat response and outlines its proper execution. In other words, the U. Instead, they execute the tasks on their threat response checklist to gather vital information, prepare a response, and in these cases, intercept the bombers.