Two Russian bombers stayed in an international defense identification zone near Alaska, testing U.S. military response time Monday and "upping the ante politically to send us a message," retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt told Newsmax.
"They want to find out what are we going to send up there to get on their wing, and how quickly can we get there," Holt told Tuesday's "American Agenda." "That's the military part.
"The political part is what's most interesting about this, and that is we are seeing their bombers being arrayed on the NATO border."
Holt noted this latest "check" comes conspicuously right after U.S. military exercises were held off the coast of Alaska.
"The incident itself is not provocative, because we do this," Holt said. "But when you start taking a look at a very big picture of what's going on geopolitically around the world, it is provocative, and I would take anybody to task that says otherwise.
"They are threatening NATO with their bombers and other elements in Europe. They are threatening the Western order with this illegal war in Ukraine. And now they're sending exercises and bombers off our own coastline in Alaska. And, when you put it all together, that is provocation."
Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt (retired) is a co-founder of Restore Liberty, a former deputy representative to NATO, a lifetime member on the Council on Foreign Relations, and a Newsmax contributor. The views presented are those of the author and do not represent the views of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, or its components. Read Holt's reports — More Here.
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