US Scrambled F-22s in Response to Russian Military Maneuvers Near Hawaii

U.S. military scrambled fighter jets in response to the Russian Navy conducting what Moscow officials called its largest exercise in the Pacific Ocean since the end of the Cold War, CBS News reported.

The exercise, which comes just as President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet face-to-face in a much-anticipated summit, was conducted about 300-500 miles west of Hawaii and involved surface ships, anti-submarine aircraft, and long range bombers, according to CBS News.

U.S. defense officials said F-22s did not intercept any Russian aircraft, which did not enter the Air Defense Identification Zone, according to the report.

A U.S. carrier strike group, headed by the USS Vinson and conducting a preplanned strike group certification exercise about 200 miles east of Hawaii, was moved closer to Hawaii in response to the Russian exercise, CBS News said Tuesday night.

"U.S. Indo-Pacific Command is monitoring the Russian vessels operating in international waters in the Western Pacific," U.S. Indo-Pacific Command spokesman Captain Mike Kafka told CBS News in a statement. 

"We operate in accordance with international law of the sea and in the air to ensure that all nations can do the same without fear or contest and in order to secure a free and open Indo-Pacific. As Russia operates within the region, it is expected to do so in accordance with international law."

The Honolulu Star Advertiser reported officials Monday would not disclose why three missile-armed Hawaii Air National Guard F-22 fighters were scrambled Sunday afternoon for an "irregular air patrol" requested by the Federal Aviation Administration.