What Lies Beneath Pentagon's Airstrikes, Overflights, Redeployments

The hits, misses and dangerous redeployments of US combat aircraft are aimed at demonstrating Washington's military superiority over its potential geopolitical rivals, expert in political and military affairs Brian Cloughley emphasizes.

America "uber alles" ("above all") is the message of the Pentagon's recent hits, misses, provocative overflights and redeployments of US combat aircraft, expert in political and military affairs Brian Cloughley points out.

"For many years US combat aircraft have been involved in operations in far-flung areas of war and military confrontation. In recent months these have ranged from the multi-casualty destruction of a hospital in Afghanistan to «provocative» overflight in the South China Sea, by way of deploying fighter interceptor aircraft to Turkey to threaten Russia and the killing of ten Iraqi soldiers in airstrikes near the city of Fallujah," Cloughley writes in his article for Strategic Culture Foundation.

The expert drew attention to the fact that none of the Pentagon's latest operations have actually contributed to the security of the United States. Instead, they have been aimed at showing Washington's unchallenged dominance.

The bombing of a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) clinic in the Afghan city of Kunduz on October 3 and the killing of Iraqi soldiers near Fallujah on December 18 by the US Air Force has predictably remained unpunished.

"I hope Iraqis will understand that this is a reflection of things that happen in combat," US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said with no trace of compassion, concluding that "there are faults on both sides."

According to Cloughley, Carter's statement is a "shocking evidence" of "his indifference to other nations' pride and dignity," let alone "his complete lack of human feeling."

"Therefore, he [Ashton Carter] is ideally suited to direct the aggressive activities of the United States around the world. While the (admitted) recent hits and misses of US airstrikes in Iraq and Afghanistan resulted in the death of only a few dozen people — ten allied soldiers along with forty doctors and patients (but only three children, that time) — the confrontational antics of other of his combat aircraft are of wider international significance," Cloughley emphasizes.

But that is not all: on December 10 a US B-52H Stratofortress nuclear-capable bomber deliberately flew over Chinese-administered territory in the South China Sea.

The expert debunked a supposed pilot's "mistake;" the Pentagon's claims that it was bad weather that had contributed to the bomber flying off course sound ludicrous, since the plane boasts worldwide precision navigation capability.

"But Carter's Pentagon would have us believe that one of their mighty bombers whose task is to deliver nuclear weapons with pin-point accuracy can wander off a planned flight path," Cloughley remarks.

Earlier, on November 6, the Pentagon deployed twelve F-15 fighter aircraft to the US airbase at Incirlik in southern Turkey, including six "air-to-air" combat jets to deliver "a pointed signal to Moscow that the US was prepared to assist Turkey in guarding its airspace against Russian incursions."

However, after Ankara shot down the Russian Su-24 in the Syrian airspace "there was a quiet announcement" that the F-15s were returning to their base at Britain's Lakenheath airfield.

All the hits, misses, overflights and redeployments are in fact aimed at demonstrating Washington's military superiority and total impunity to the international community.

"What is permissible for Jove is not permissible for an ox," as an old Latin proverb says.

Washington's provocative and irresponsible behavior complies with Barack Obama's concept voiced at West Point Military Academy last year: "America must always lead on the world stage. If we [the US] don't, no one else will."