Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work has said Russian aircraft have conducted “extremely aggressive†operations in the Baltic Sea and Black Sea that could potentially jeopardize lives, DoD News reported Monday.
Lisa Ferdinando writes Work referred to reports by U.S. European Command officials that Russian planes made multiple low-altitude maneuvers in April near the U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, USS Donald Cook, in the Baltic Sea’s international waters.
Work, an inductee into Executive Mosaic’s Wash100 for 2016, told reporters during his May 12 trip to Poland that such flight manuevers by Russians could potentially result in an accident.
[O]nce an accident occurs, you don’t know what [would happen] afterwards,†he added.
He also noted that the U.S. will continue to operate in any areas approved by the international law, according to the report.
Work held a three-day trip to Romania and Poland to take part in ceremonies for the two sites of the Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense systems.
