US Lieutenant Colonel against President Obama

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MOSCOW (Nikita Petrov, specially for RIA Novosti)

On the eve of the meeting between the U.S. and Russian Presidents in London, the American magazine "Air and Space Power Journal" published an article by Lt. Col. Christopher Sage.

The officer suggested redeploying the 31st Air Force Fighter Wing consisting of the 510th and 555th operational squadrons of F16s from their current Italian base in Aviano to Poland. He based his suggestion on Moscow threatening Warsaw with the operational tactical Iskander-M complex, which it was planning to locate in the Kaliningrad Region, and also Russia's aggressive politics in relation to Georgia. The American fighter plane squadron could, the lieutenant believes, help Washington's allies defend both countries from the Russian threat.

It would have been possible to ignore this publication, if it wasn't for several particularly noteworthy facts. Lieutenant Colonel Sage is not simply any American officer, but the aide to the head of the U.S. Military Forces Headquarters in Europe, and holds quite a high position in the army hierarchy. Moreover, The Air and Space Power Journal is not just someone's personal project, but a Pentagon publication. In spite of all the freedom of speech that exists in the United States, such statements are never wholly personal. They are, as a rule, a reflection of the military establishment's thinking and attitude. So, it is not all that easy to dismiss.

Firstly, Russia is in no way threatening Poland with the deployment of its Iskander system on its borders. It has been confirmed at the very highest level in Moscow, including by the president and the prime minister, that this operational tactical rocket system will not be deployed in the Kaliningrad Region, so long as Poland does not host the United States' ballistic missile defense system. So, if there's no American base, there will be no Iskanders.

But Lieutenant Sage turns everything upside down; he insists that there is a need to protect Poland because it is being threatened by rockets. And the result is that instead of, or in addition to, the Ground Based Interceptor will be added to several American squadrons, which Warsaw has already negotiated with Washington, at the same time as the American Patriot PAC-3 guided surface to air missile defense system. He suggests a dramatic strengthening of the American army forces on Russia's borders, and the deployment on its borders of planes able to carry nuclear bombs. But experts know that in the United States still keeps about 400 B61 air delivery gravity nuclear bombs in its European stockpiles. And that is why Lieutenant Sage's suggestions are being interpreted in Moscow as nothing other than provocation.

The publication by the lieutenant was even more untimely and provocative because it happened when the leaders of Russia and the United States, having spoken of "resetting" their relationship, had agreed to reduce the strategic offensive arsenal, and to strengthen their joint fight against common threats, such as international terrorism, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Clearly, it is not only an aide to the head of the U.S. Military Headquarters in Europe, but also other VIPs in the Pentagon, who openly dislike this turn of events. They prefer a worsening of bilateral relations between the two countries. Only then can they justify the exorbitant budget that they annually demand from their taxpayers.

The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.

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