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Two F-22 Raptors from the 1st Fighter Wing at Joint Base Langley-Eustis fly near Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., on their way to an exercise over British Columbia, Canada,May 27, 2015. Air Force Secretary Deborah James told reporters during a stop at the Paris Air Show that the service could send a squadron of the aircraft to Europe in response to Russia's actions in Ukraine.

Two F-22 Raptors from the 1st Fighter Wing at Joint Base Langley-Eustis fly near Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., on their way to an exercise over British Columbia, Canada,May 27, 2015. Air Force Secretary Deborah James told reporters during a stop at the Paris Air Show that the service could send a squadron of the aircraft to Europe in response to Russia's actions in Ukraine. (Benjamin W. Stratton/U.S. Air Force)

The U.S. Air Force could send a squadron of F-22s to Europe in response to Russia’s aggressive posture on the Continent, the Air Force’s top civilian official said.

Air Force Secretary Deborah James told reporters during a stop at the Paris Air Show that Russia is “the biggest threat” on her mind.

“That’s a big part of why I am here in Europe to hold these discussions,” said James, who was quoted by several media outlets.

Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula, along with its military involvement in eastern Ukraine, has some of Russia’s neighbors on edge.

Russia denies its involvement in the fighting going on in eastern Ukraine.

The Air Force has already increased its rotations through Europe as part of the ongoing Atlantic Resolve initiative, which has resulted in an expanded array of war games and training missions in the Baltics and eastern Europe.

While the Air Force’s A-10s and F-15Cs are among the rotating fighters, the F-22 also could be added to the mix, she said.

“I could easily see the day — though I couldn’t tell you the day exactly — when the F-22, for example, rotates in is a possibility,” James told reporters. “I don’t see why that couldn’t happen in the future.”

The stealthy F-22 is considered the Air Force’s top fighter, designed to ensure air dominance.

The aircraft has run into occasional technical issues, such as when the Air Force grounded the supersonic fighter in 2011 because of concerns about oxygen problems in the cockpit.

The F-22 entered service in 2005, but it wasn’t used in combat until September, when it took part in airstrikes over Syria as part of the campaign against the Islamic State group.

news@stripes.com

Two F-22 Raptors from the 1st Fighter Wing at Joint Base Langley-Eustis fly near Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., on their way to an exercise over British Columbia, Canada,May 27, 2015. Air Force Secretary Deborah James told reporters during a stop at the Paris Air Show that the service could send a squadron of the aircraft to Europe in response to Russia's actions in Ukraine.

Two F-22 Raptors from the 1st Fighter Wing at Joint Base Langley-Eustis fly near Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., on their way to an exercise over British Columbia, Canada,May 27, 2015. Air Force Secretary Deborah James told reporters during a stop at the Paris Air Show that the service could send a squadron of the aircraft to Europe in response to Russia's actions in Ukraine. (Benjamin W. Stratton/U.S. Air Force)

Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James

Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James (Jim Varhegyi/U.S. Air Force)

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