Close calls around the world show that Russian and Chinese pilots want 'batting practice' against...

SPC Carl Davis
"Russian and Chinese jets have crowded, buzzed, and even collided with US aircraft in hotspots around the world in recent months in a series of encounters that reflect a greater willingness to challenge the US amid heightened tensions with both countries, top US military commanders say.

US officials have highlighted several dangerous incidents so far this year. In March, for example, US European Command said Russian jets interfered with a US MQ-9 drone over the Black Sea, colliding with the drone and forcing its operators to bring it down in the sea.

In July, US Central Command reported several instances of "unsafe and unprofessional behavior" by Russian jets around US drones and manned aircraft over Syria, and in mid-October, the Pentagon released photos and videos of what it called "coercive and risky" intercepts of US aircraft by Chinese jets over the previous two years.

Gen. Mark Kelly, who oversees the organizing, training, and equipping of US Air Force units as head of Air Combat Command, said the nature and frequency of those interactions was a new development. "...

So it seems. It's like ball teams from different schools shooting hoops together at the local park - though with much worse results<sigh>
However, it is also a set-up. In its eagerness to be the policemen of the world most of the U.S.of A. international policy problems come from requests of individual nations that are not recognized as being more complexly collusive than the U.S. apparently realizes. Relationships on the other side of the globe have been on-going for millennia driven by decades and centuries of of off and on anger, retribution, and greed that spans much more time than our government, and the advisors to whom they listen, apparently recognize.
The nations who ask for our assistance are not necessarily friends to the U.S.A, nor will they be in the future even when our assistance benefits them. Their closest neighbors, friends and/or foe are the determinants - even with a world full of sophisticated weaponry.
There are reasons the military is not supposed to be going into combat when we well know combat will occur. When a president has repeatedly made those choices through direct action, to commit our military, especially knowing it will be long-term action - it pushes the limits to the point of indicating an administration is wanting to turn into a dictatorship, imo.
These days congress seems to be an "occupied territory" so what the constituency wants is probably not debated in Congress when it differs from what industry, corporate conglomerates, and foreign lobbies want that apparently drive the choices of Congress along with a president and his advisors.