The Pentagon will send F-22 Raptor fighter jets to the Middle East in direct response to increasingly “unsafe” behavior by Russian aircraft in the skies over Syria, U.S. officials said Wednesday, marking the latest escalation of tensions between the nations.
U.S. Central Command said in a statement that the F-22 deployment will demonstrate clear American air superiority in the region. The move comes amid reports of increasingly aggressive actions by Russian planes, described by one American military official as an attempt by the Russians to “dogfight” U.S. jets over Syria.
The U.S. has roughly 1,000 troops in Syria. Their official mission is to battle the remnants of the Islamic State terror group, but those American forces have increasingly found themselves in conflict with Iran-backed militias and in dangerous encounters with Russian personnel.
Russian troops are in Syria to help prop up the government of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad.
While there has been no direct conflict between U.S. and Russian forces in the Syrian skies, U.S. officials framed the F-22 deployment as a preemptive move to ensure safety in the region.
“Russian forces’ unsafe and unprofessional behavior is not what we expect from a professional air force. Their regular violation of agreed upon airspace deconfliction measures increases the risk of escalation or miscalculation,” said Army Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, in a statement Wednesday afternoon. “Alongside our partners and allies, we are committed to improving the security and stability in the region.”
CENTCOM added: “This rapid deployment and integration into coalition operations is a clear demonstration of the commitment shared by partners, allies, and the U.S. to long-term peace and stability in the region.”
U.S. and Russian forces have had several dangerous encounters in Syria over the past several years.
In August 2020, U.S. and Russian military vehicles collided in northeastern Syria. Video posted to social media at the time appeared to show a Russian military vehicle sideswiping an American vehicle while at least two Russian helicopters flew overhead.
More recently, U.S. officials said Russian pilots appear to be trying to goad their American counterparts into a fight.
“They’re maneuvering aggressively against us when our protocols would say we’re supposed to stay … several miles apart and just monitor each other,” Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, head of Air Forces Central Command, told the news outlet Defense One in April.
He said the Russians are “aggressively maneuvering, almost like they’re trying to dogfight” in the skies over Syria.
On another front, international donor nations meeting in Brussels pledged $10.3 billion in aid this year for millions of Syrians battered by war, poverty, and hunger, both at home and as refugees abroad, The Associated Press reported.
The pledges by 57 nations and 30 international organizations at the annual European Union-hosted conference for Syria fell about $800 million short of what U.N. officials had hoped for, but was still taken as a sign of continued international support for rebuilding the civil war-torn country.
“This is a tangible demonstration that the international community stands by the Syrian people,” said EU Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Janez Lenarcic, according to the AP report.
He said the total of grants and loans was about $875 million higher than last year’s pledge.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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