“Russia is the No. 1 threat to the United States. We have a number of threats that we’re dealing with, but Russia could be, because of the nuclear aspect, an existential threat to the United States,†Air Force Secretary Deborah James told Reuters at the annual Reagan National Defense Forum on Saturday.
She went on to speak of “very worrying†incidents of “very dangerous airmanship†by Russia, as well as alleged cyber-attacks by Russian hackers on US institutions.
A fighter jet based on the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov skid off the deck during landing and became lost at sea after an arrestor gear line snapped and failed to stop the aircraft, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
The pilot ejected from the plane and was rescued unharmed, the statement said.