US builds up naval presence near Alaska amid Russian activity
Illustrative photo (getty images)
US Armed Forces are steadily increasing their presence near Alaska, deploying a destroyer and an army unit equipped with a long-range missile system. Tensions in the region are rising due to heightened military activity by Russia and China off the coast of Alaska, according to Politico.
In the past month, the destroyer USS Sterett has been dispatched to the Alaskan coast in response to Russian naval vessels operating in the area. Troops landed on a remote Alaskan island, and squadrons of fighter jets and other aircraft have been stationed in Alaska and remain on heightened alert.
These actions follow a series of Russian air operations that bypassed Alaskan airspace, as well as joint exercises involving Russian and Chinese military ships in the Pacific near Japan.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Russia is fully prepared for a conflict with NATO in the Arctic.
"We see NATO stepping up drills related to possible crises in the Arctic. Our country is fully ready to defend its interests militarily, politically, and from the standpoint of defense technologies," Lavrov said.
The Arctic encompasses territories belonging to eight countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Canada, the United States, Iceland, and Russia. All except Russia are NATO members.
Despite this, Lavrov asserted that "the Arctic is not the territory of the North Atlantic alliance," and said other, non-Arctic countries, such as China and India, hold interests there.
The threat from Russian military forces continues to evolve. On September 15, the US Coast Guard cutter Stratton detected four Russian naval vessels, including submarines and frigates, 57 miles northwest of Point Hope, Alaska. Russian ships remained on their side of the maritime border, transiting approximately 30 miles within the US exclusive economic zone according to international law.
As a reminder, in July, American and Canadian fighter jets intercepted several Russian and Chinese bombers off the coast of Alaska.
On August 10, the US Coast Guard cutter identified a Russian vessel within the US exclusive economic zone near the Aleutian Islands.
