How the U.S. Has ‘Learned a Lot’ About Russian Capabilities in Syria

by Aaron Mehta

As Russian and American forces have settled into Syria, analysts and experts have noticed a clear pattern from the Russian forces. Moscow is using Syria as both a test bed for its newest capabilities and as an opportunity to see American equipment such as the F-22 fighter jet up close. It’s a development that has raised concerns that Moscow may be gaining a military edge over the U.S. from its experiences in the region. The good news for America’s military? It’s doing the same thing. “Certainly, we’ve learned a lot about some of the capabilities that the Russians have brought to Syria,” Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian, the outgoing head of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, has told Defense News. “Could we have learned more? There are probably some areas out there that we need to make sure we watch.

“We are a learning organization. I won’t go into all the details but there were things that we knew we had to take advantage of, and ensure, feed that back [to] not only the intel community but back into those systems that we needed to improve.”…

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