The battle between American and Russian warships and aircraft can be described as the most thrilling thing. The two countries often staged battles of wits to make the other party realize their intentions.
Recently, the Su-30 fighter jets of the Russian Aerospace Forces intercepted the U.S. P-8A "Poseidon" anti-submarine patrol aircraft near the Russian border over the Black Sea. The two aircraft passed by each other 7 meters apart over the Black Sea. . The U.S. and Russian military aircraft once again left a wonderful episode in the story of the battle between ships and aircraft between the two countries.
Showing strength
The United States is the only superpower in the world today, and Russia has always been considered inferior to the United States in terms of military strength. In fact, Russia has done nothing militarily for a long time since it became an independent country. The main reason is that its military strength has continued to decline. For example, during the NATO air strikes on Yugoslavia, Russia took almost no action. It just watched helplessly as its only partner in the Balkans, Yugoslavia, suffered 78 days of air attacks. It is equally powerless for NATO to continue to expand eastward and squeeze its security strategic space. as.
Today, Russia’s military strength has recovered to a level that cannot be underestimated. Since Putin came to power, he has vigorously promoted military reforms, which has continuously improved the combat capabilities of the Russian army. It also plans to achieve a weapons and equipment replacement rate of about 70-100 for each service and arms by around 2020. By then, it is not impossible for the Russian military to regain the glory of the Soviet army.
Since sending troops to Georgia in 2008, the Russian army has appeared in front of the world with a new look and image, changing its past "incompetent" performance in the Chechen War. Then, Russia used tough measures to deal with the island disputes with Japan in the Asia-Pacific region, used military force to safeguard its interests on the Ukrainian issue in Europe, and directly used air strikes in the Middle East to participate in the Syrian issue. Although Russia appears to be tough militarily, the United States and Russia have not engaged in direct confrontation and are still practicing Tai Chi. This time, the military planes of the United States and Russia did not collide. In fact, it was a manifestation of the direct confrontation between the United States and Russia, and it was also a way for Russia to demonstrate its military strength. Responding to Provocations
Since Russia directly launched air strikes on targets in Syria in September 2015, Russia and the United States have begun to fight without breaking up. The battle between provocations and counter-provocations between the two sides continues. Russian military aircraft and ships have demonstrated in coastal areas of the United States, and the United States has either monitored or expelled them. The United States has continuously sent warships and aircraft close to Russia's borders in the Western Pacific, Black Sea and Baltic Sea regions, and has also been forcefully expelled by Russia.
Judging from the fighting style between the United States and Russia, in most cases, when Russia's security interests are threatened by the United States, it responds with offensive weapons, forcing the United States to stop. It can be seen that the characteristic of this game between the United States and Russia is that the United States uses defensive tools to provoke, and Russia uses offensive tools to defend. However, it is rare for both sides to use offensive tools. Of course, it is also possible for both the United States and Russia to use offensive ships and aircraft. The struggle between provocation and counter-provocation between the United States and Russia will not stop and will continue.
Strategic Test
After the Cold War, the United States became the only superpower, and its goal was to maintain its status as a superpower. At the same time, the Russian nation is also a nation that is not willing to be lonely. As the successor state of the former Soviet Union, Russia is unwilling to remain a second-rate country.
As the saying goes, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse. Although Russia is not as good as the Soviet Union of the past, Russia is still the only country capable of challenging the United States' global hegemony. As the military reforms advocated by Putin continue to deepen and Russia's military strength continues to improve, Russia still wants to restore its former glory. However, Russia is unable to compete with the United States for global hegemony. In this case, Russia took the next best step and strived to establish its dominant position within the Soviet Union and the Soviet Union. This was the case when it sent troops to Georgia in 2008 and competed with the United States on the Ukraine issue.
As Russia's strength, especially its military strength, continues to improve, Russia's strategic vision is also extending beyond the Soviet Union and other countries.
Russia's dispatch of troops to Syria is a manifestation of this. Under these circumstances, the United States and Russia are in a state of Tai Chi, that is, there is no direct confrontation, but an indirect contest. In order to better grasp the intensity of their actions and the timing of their actions, the United States and Russia still need to directly explore the bottom in order to decide how to act. Frequent encounters between ships and aircraft between the United States and Russia occur without incident. In fact, both countries understand in their hearts that they are testing each other's true intentions. To a certain extent, it can be said that this kind of friction between ships and aircraft, or "safe and professional interaction" as the US military puts it, has elements of mutual cooperation to a large extent.
Seeking breakthroughs
One of the principles for the United States to maintain its hegemony is that the country that ranks second to the United States can never surpass the United States in terms of strength. For example, during the Cold War, the United States resolutely contained and suppressed the Soviet Union, which eventually caused the Soviet Union to disintegrate. Today, as Russia's strength continues to recover and China's strength continues to rise, the United States is faced with a dilemma in choosing which of the two countries to pull or fight. It should be said that the current trend may be that the United States pulls China to deal with Russia in Europe and the Middle East, and the United States pulls Russia to deal with China in the Asia-Pacific region. Its purpose is to contain the development of China and Russia at the same time, so as not to pose a threat to the hegemony of the United States.
Generally speaking, the United States believes that Russia poses a greater threat to U.S. hegemony than China. Under such circumstances, the United States needs to figure out how to deal with the issue of Russia. The fact that the warships and planes scraped each other without colliding was actually just a strategic test of this kind of maneuver. Of course, there is also the issue of Russia testing the extent to which the United States will allow it to expand its power.