The US and Russian military are constantly in touch both on the conflict prevention channel and at operational level, and not only in Syria. This was announced on Thursday by General Joseph Dunford, Headman of the United States Armed Forces Committee of Chiefs of Staff, speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations.
“We are trying to refrain from covering the details of the dialogue with [the head of the General Staff of the Russian Federation] general [army Valery] Gerasimov in the public space. When creating the corresponding channel in 2014, we agreed that we would never share its details”, – he said. “This allows us to avoid politicization relationships and reduce the risks of miscalculations in crisis resolution”.
According to the general, the result of this professional dialogue was the creation of a conflict prevention channel. “As part of deconflicting, we are talking to each other, we are in daily contact at the operational level. In addition, we have a direct connection with the Russian General Staff”, – continued Dunford. “Thus, there are three communication channels”.
The head of the US Armed Forces Committee of Chiefs of Staff pointed out that the conflict prevention regime concerns not only Syria, but also flight safety outside the Middle East region. “This is another area in which we consult to reduce risks in many regions of the world. This is very important”, – Dunford said.