Who knows? We may be inching closer to having to fight the commies. If we do, and you old soldiers get called up, I want to be the first to let you know that I will do everything that I can to take care of your wives and girlfriends. I promise.--W.T.
Pentagon blasts 'provocative' move of Russian military action against U.S. Navy ship
Leada Gore | lgore@al.com By Leada Gore | lgore@al.com
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on April 14, 2014 at 1:11 PM, updated April 14, 2014 at 1:23 PM
U.S. Navy destroyer Donald Cook
As tensions over the Russian takeover of Crimea continue to rise, the Pentagon is condemning reports a Russian fighter jet buzzed the U.S. Navy destroyer Donald Cook in the Black Sea.
A Russian SU-24 Fencer made a total of 12 passes above the destroyer that is equipped with a Redstone Arsenal-managed Aegis missile defense system. The incident occurred in international waters about 48 hours after the Navy ship arrived in the Black Sea as part of an effort to ease concerns of NATO allies in the region.
The unarmed aircraft did not respond to queries from the ship's bridge and the incident ended after about 90 minutes.
"This provocative and unprecedented Russian action is inconsistent with international protocols and previous agreements on the professional interaction between our militaries," said Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, said Monday.
The Donald Cook is more than capable of defending itself against an SU-24.
Warren said the ship was never in danger and added "the Donald Cook is more than capable of defending itself against an SU-24."
The move comes a month after thousands of Russian troops poured across the Ukrainian border, the first step towards the annexation of the Russian-speaking Ukrainian region.
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