STUTTGART, Germany - Delegations representing the U.S. and Russian Navies held the annual Prevention of Incidents On and Over the High Seas (INCSEA) discussions July 25, 2017 at Newport, R.I.

These important annual reviews are a professional discussion of the agreement in place to prevent incidents at sea between U.S. and Russian ships and aircraft.

Recent Russian air-to-air intercepts of U.S. aircraft and interactions with ships in international airspace and waters are the types of interactions that are discussed.

Established in 1972, the bilateral INCSEA agreement between the U.S. and the Soviet Union codified the mutual interest of both sides in promoting safety of navigation and safety of flight when operating on and over international waters and specified an annual meeting to review compliance with the articles of the agreement.

The last meeting occurred June 8, 2016, hosted by the Russian Federated Navy in Moscow.

"Agreement Between the Government of The United States of America and the Government of Russia [formerly known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics] on the Prevention of Incidents On and Over the High Seas" was first signed and entered into force at Moscow May 25, 1972. More on the history of the agreement at www.state.gov.

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U.S. European Command is one of the United States' two forward-deployed Geographic Combatant Commands whose area of focus cover almost one-fifth of the planet, including all of Europe, large portions of Asia, parts of the Middle East and the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. The command is responsible
for military relations with NATO and 51 countries with a total population of close to a billion people.