WASHINGTON (AP) — After Russian fighters buzzed the USS Kitty Hawk in the Sea of Japan on Oct. 17, the aircraft carrier took steps to enable a quicker response if it happened again, Pentagon officials said.
The officials insisted that the incident did not pose a security threat to the Kitty Hawk, although the carrier has since raised its "alert posture." The officials refused to elaborate on the heightened security.
A week ago, Pentagon spokesman Kenneth Bacon told reporters the Russian planes stayed a "suitable distance away" from the Kitty Hawk. On Thursday, however, he said he had misspoken and that the planes actually flew directly over the carrier, at an altitude of several hundred feet, and that U.S. interceptor planes could not immediately launch because the carrier was moving too slowly while refueling.