The Dutch Ministry of Defense announced today that a pair of Royal Netherlands Air Force F-35s detected three Russian military aircraft in NATO airspace on Friday (December 6) over the Baltic Sea and escorted them back over international waters. The Netherlands had assumed the NATO Air Policing Mission earlier this month as part of the normal rotation of responsibility.
This shows how important it is to have a bouncer at the door to your club. My fear is that the club’s new owner seems to think of them as mere ticket-takers and doesn’t appreciate the “security” aspect of the job.
Back in my day, the Soviets would shoot down trespassers in their airspace. I don’t doubt the Russians would do the same. I don’t know of any time we shot down one of theirs inside our airspace.