Sixstrings wrote:No -- if they keep doing this though, then as much as everyone hates to do it, we may have to start engaging the Russian aircraft.
Alrighty then. I told you what it would cost to do what you're asking to do.
If what you are suggesting regarding the Russians is truth, then they are violating on purpose, and doing it for the irritation factor. Thus, my eyeball, rough guestimate, is 300 bn USD in hardware to do what you want to do; and it will all have to be continual manned and maintained, so take on another couple billion a year in eternal, never ending cost.
So excluding the poor who don't pay taxes; that means, you're either intending to print the money to pay for it; cut $300 bn from other capital programs (say 10 yrs of no highway construction and repair); or you believe we should raise the taxes of most Americans by about $1500. To respond to a Russian jet nibbling on the airspace of Latvia or Sweden.
Which is it.
Then I'd like you to think about what it cost Russia to fly that jet over and nibble.
Then I'd like you to consider that Russia could fly one of those jets on auto/remote pilotless and nibble.. say once a year.
Russia thus spends a few thousand on fuel and a retiring aircraft, once a year to cause us to go 10 years with no highway repair funds for the entire US.
Remember what I said about hybrid warfare. Its the art of spending a grand, in order to force the enemy to spend a million. We do not outsize the Russian economy by 1000 times. We do not out-technical Russian engineering by 1000 times. If we engage in hybrid war, on their terms. Our defeat is guaranteed.
Back in the 50s we did the U2 spy missions over Russia. And they shot it down. So fine, we took a chance and got busted. If it gets that bad and we have to shoot one of their planes down, over our sovereign land, then surely they will have to realize they were in the wrong too, just as we were in the 1950s.
They shot it down, and were able to shoot it down, because the U2 flew over the most defended zones in the USSR. These nibbles Russia is doing are nothing like that; if they are intentional, they will continue to nibble on the LEAST defended zones. They aren't taking pictures or other recon, they're just being pests. They'll be pests in the least costly, least risky locations they can select.
And that's just my opinion, I'm sorry I'm too conservative for you.
You're not too conservative. Conservatives lead with how they intend to pay for things. Democrats are perfectly happy to blow things up and make war.