The suicide bombing at Moscow's busiest airport is a tragedy that "could have just as easily happened here," the commander of NORAD and the U.S. Northern Command said Tuesday.
"People think of us and the Russians as adversaries, and we're not, and particularly in this area," Adm. James Winnefeld said in an interview with The Associated Press. "We feel very badly for what happened to them in Moscow because that could have just as easily happened here."
Military-to-military relations between the U.S. and Russia are improving, Winnefeld said, and it's possible he will meet with Russian commanders in Russia if the two sides can work out the details.
"I would welcome the opportunity, candidly, and I would also welcome the opportunity to host a Russian counterpart here," he said.
Winnefeld said he had no direct counterpart in Russia but he was interested in meeting the commander of Russia's long-range aviation.
Winnefeld heads the North American Aerospace Defense Command, a joint U.S.-Canada command that is responsible for defending both nations from air attack and for monitoring potential maritime threats.
He also leads the Northern Command, which is responsible for the military defense of U.S. soil and supporting civilian agencies in the event of a natural or human-caused disasters.
Both have headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Winnefeld declined to say what impact the Moscow bombing might have on U.S. security measures. That's a matter for the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Safety Administration, he said.
The explosion Monday at Domodedovo Airport killed 35 people and injured 180. No one has claimed responsibility, but Islamist separatist insurgents from Chechnya have taken credit for previous attacks in Moscow.
Talking tough a day after the bombing, Russia's leaders ordered security services to root out the culprits behind the attack.
"This was an abominable crime in both its senselessness and its cruelty," Russian President Vladimir Putin told a meeting of ministers in Moscow on Tuesday.
"I do not doubt that this crime will be solved and that retribution is inevitable."
Meanwhile, a New York Police Department detective arrived in Russia Tuesday to gather information about the bombing.
The officer's visit aims to help New York guard against a similar attack. He has been to Moscow previously to learn about a subway station bombing.
The detective is normally assigned to Tel Aviv as part of a program in which NYPD officers are stationed around the world to help learn from overseas attacks.
