III 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 501 

Expressing the sense of the Senate on Russian military aggression. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 20, 2016 

Mr. PERDUE (for himself, Mr. JOHNSON, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. MENENDEZ, 

Mr. RISCH, and Mr. GARDNER) submitted the following resolution; which 

was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate on Russian military 

aggression. 

Whereas, on May 25, 1972, the United States and the Soviet 

Union signed the Agreement Between the Government of 

The United States of America and the Government of 

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Prevention of Incidents On and Over the High Seas (the 

‘‘Agreement’’). Russia and the United States remain parties to the Agreement; 

Whereas Article IV of the Agreement provides that ‘‘Commanders of aircraft of the Parties shall use the greatest 

caution and prudence in approaching aircraft and ships 

of the other Party operating on and over the high seas, 

and . . . shall not permit simulated attacks by the simuVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:24 Jun 20, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR501.IS SR501

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•SRES 501 IS 

lated use of weapons against aircraft and ships, or performance of various aerobatics over ships’’; 

Whereas, on January 25, 2016, a Russian Su–27 air-superiority fighter flew within 15 feet of a United States Air 

Force RC–135U aircraft flying a routine patrol in international airspace over the Black Sea; 

Whereas, on April 11, 2016, the USS DONALD COOK, an 

Arleigh-Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, was repeatedly buzzed by Russian Su–24 attack aircraft while operating in the Baltic Sea. United States officials described 

the low-passes as having a ‘‘simulated attack profile’’; 

Whereas, on April 12, 2014, a Russian Su–24 again conducted close-range low altitude passes for about 90 minutes near the DONALD COOK; 

Whereas the United States European Command expressed 

‘‘deep concerns’’ about the April 11 and 12, 2016, Russian close-range passes over the DONALD COOK and 

stated that the maneuvers were ‘‘unprofessional and unsafe’’; 

Whereas, on April 14, 2016, a Russian Su–27 barrel-rolled 

over a United States reconnaissance aircraft operating in 

international airspace over the Baltic Sea, at one point 

coming within 50 feet of the United States plane. The 

Pentagon condemned the maneuver as ‘‘erratic and aggressive’’; 

Whereas, on April 20, 2016, Russian Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) 

Alexander Grushko accused United States military aircraft and vessels operating in international waters as attempting ‘‘to exercise military pressure on Russia’’ and 

promised to ‘‘take all necessary measures [and] preVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:24 Jun 20, 2016 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR501.IS SR501

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•SRES 501 IS 

cautions, to compensate for these attempts to use military force’’; 

Whereas, on April 29, 2016, another Russian Su–27 performed another barrel-roll over a United States Air Force 

RC–135 reconnaissance plane, this time coming within 

approximately 100 feet of the aircraft; 

Whereas the commander of the United States Cyber Command, Admiral Mike Rogers, warned Congress during a 

Senate hearing that Russia and China can now launch 

crippling cyberattacks on the electric grid and other critical infrastructures of the United States; 

Whereas Russia’s military build-up and increasing Anti-Access/Area Denial capabilities in Kaliningrad and its expanded operations in the Arctic, the Black Sea, the eastern Mediterranean Sea, and in Syria aim to deny United 

States access to key areas of Eurasia and often pose direct challenges to stated United States interests; 

Whereas the United States has determined that in 2015, 

Russia continued to be in violation of obligations under 

the Treaty between the United States of America and the 

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Elimination of 

their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles 

(the ‘‘INF Treaty’’), signed in Washington, DC, on December 8, 1987, and entered into force June 1, 1988, not 

to possess, produce, or flight-test a ground-launched 

cruise missile with a range capability of 500 km to 5,500 

km, or to possess or produce launchers of such missiles; 

and 

Whereas General Philip Breedlove, Commander of United 

States European Command, stated that ‘‘we face a resurgent and aggressive Russia, and as we have continued to 


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•SRES 501 IS 

witness these last two years, Russia continues to seek to 

extend its influence on its periphery and beyond’’: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) condemns the recent dangerous and unpro3 fessional Russian intercepts of United States-flagged 

4 aircraft and vessels; 

5 (2) calls on the Government of the Russian 

6 Federation to cease provocative military maneuvers 

7 that endanger United States forces and those of its 

8 allies; 

9 (3) calls on the United States, its European al10 lies, and the international community to continue to 

11 apply pressure on the Government of the Russian 

12 Federation to cease its provocative international be13 havior; and 

14 (4) reaffirms the right of the United States to 

15 operate military aircraft and vessels in international 

16 airspace and waters. 

Æ 


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