The U.S. Coast Guard has spotted Russian and Chinese ships conducting a joint patrol in the Bering Strait.
A Coast Guard press release issued Tuesday, Oct. 1, said the ships were spotted on Saturday about 700 kilometers (430 miles) off St. Lawrence Island. The island itself is part of the state of Alaska and is located approximately 190 kilometers from the mainland of the United States and 80 kilometers from the coast of Russia's Chukotka.
The ships were spotted from a HC-130J aircraft during a routine patrol.
The ships involved were four: two Russian Coast Guard ships and two Chinese Coast Guard ships. The ships were moving in a northeasterly formation, staying about eight kilometers inside Russia's exclusive economic zone. It was the northernmost location the United States has observed Chinese Coast Guard ships.
“This recent activity demonstrates the increased interest in the Arctic from our strategic competitors,” said Rear Adm. Megan Dean, commander of the 17th Coast Guard District, noting that demand for Coast Guard services in the region continues to grow.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000The HC-130 crew was operating under the Frontier Sentinel initiative, an operation in which the United States responds to the presence of rival nations in U.S. and adjacent waters with its own presence. The press release emphasized that “the Coast Guard's presence reinforces the rules-based international order and facilitates operations consistent with international law and norms.”
Earlier, on September 12, the Pentagon sent about 130 troops to Shemya Island, about 1,900 kilometers (1,200 miles) from Anchorage, Alaska, as part of a “show of force” operation. Two HIMARS artillery systems were also delivered to the island, which is home to a U.S. Air Force station dating back to World War II.
Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan said that amid the Russian-Chinese Okean 24 exercises in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans, the U.S. military also sent a guided-missile destroyer and a Coast Guard ship to the area.
In mid-September, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said it had detected and tracked Russian military aircraft flying off the coast of Alaska for several days. The planes were operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone, which extends beyond U.S. sovereign airspace but within which the United States expects the planes to identify themselves.
Prepared by: Sergey Daga