March 15, 2024 (EIRNS)—Air Force Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, commander of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command, engaged yesterday in a little scaremongering over Russian and Chinese bombers approaching U.S. air space, during testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee. Firstly, he reported that a pair of Russian Tu-95 bombers that approached U.S. air space last week actually came through what NATO refers to as the GIUK gap, that is, Greenland-Iceland-U.K., instead of the more normal approach of Alaska.
“We’ve had some success working with NATO and European Command on the … northeast approach,” Guillot said, reported Air & Space Forces Magazine. “Just last week, for the first time in over two years, the Russians sent two ‘Bear’ bombers down along that avenue through what we call the ‘GIUK gap,’ Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom, approaching the Canadian and the United States Air Defense Identification Zones.”
Secondly, Guillot claimed that Chinese bombers may soon join the Russians in approaching Alaska air space. “What I’ve seen is a willingness and a desire by the Chinese to act up there (the Arctic),” Guillot said. “I expect to see air activity in the Alaska part of the Arctic as soon as this year, potentially. It’s a very big concern of mine.” While it wasn’t clear exactly what Guillot was looking at, it is pretty clear that any supplicant before the Congress these days should consider inserting China into their testimony.
