Alaska sees increased Russian naval and flight incursions

Last week, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, and the U.S. Coast Guard detected and tracked four separate incursions of Russian military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone and one incursion of Russian naval vessels in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone.
 The U.S. Coast Guard located four Russian Federation Navy vessels Sunday, Sept 14, about 57 miles northwest of Point Hope. While on a routine patrol in the Chukchi Sea, the crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stratton observed the Russian vessels transiting southeast along the Russian side of the maritime boundary line.
The crew of the Stratton witnessed the Russian vessels cross the border line into the U.S Arctic. The Russian vessels were assessed to be avoiding sea ice on the Russian side of the border. They operated in accordance with international rules and customs as they transited approximately 30 miles into the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. “We are actively patrolling our maritime border in the Bering Sea, Bering Strait and Chukchi Sea, with our largest and most capable cutters and aircraft, to protect U.S. sovereign interests, U.S. fish stocks, and to promote international maritime norms,” said Rear Adm. Megan Dean, Commander of Coast Guard District Seventeen. “Coast Guard Cutter Stratton ensured there were no disruptions to U.S. interests.”
The Russian vessels consisted of two submarines, a frigate and a tug. 
Prior to the naval incursion, NORAD detected and tracked two Russian TU-142 military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone on Sept. 13, 2024 and then again on Sept. 14 and 15, when NORAD tracked four Russian IL-38 military aircraft.
The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace. This Russian activity in the Alaska ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat, said a NORAD press release.
According to U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Russia and China began the Ocean-24 military exercises on Sept. 10 in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans. Sullivan said this marks Russia’s largest joint naval and air drill since the Cold War. China and Russia conducted a similar exercise near Alaska in July.
“As the world becomes more dangerous, Alaska continues to be on the frontlines of authoritarian aggression,” Senator Sullivan said. “Coordinated activity off Alaska’s shores by the Russians and Chinese is increasing: On five separate occasions in the past seven days, Russian military incursions into our ADIZ or EEZ have occurred – both naval and air. In the past two years, we’ve seen joint Russian-Chinese air and naval exercises off our shores and a Chinese spy balloon floating over our communities. These escalating incidents demonstrate the critical role the Arctic plays in great power competition between the U.S., Russia, and China.”
The U.S. Army’s 11th Airborne Division announced the deployment of more than 100 soldiers to the Aleutian Islands in response to increased Russian and Chinese activity near Alaska. (see story on page 7). According to Sullivan, the U.S. military has also deployed a guided missile destroyer and a Coast Guard cutter to the western region of Alaska. Sullivan called for a more permanent response like “reopening the Navy base at Adak, Alaska, which I have been pressing to be done for years.”
“Authoritarian regimes are testing the United States,” Sullivan said. “Dictators like Vladimir Putin see through a lens of either strength or weakness, which is why I’ve long encouraged our senior military leaders to be ready and to respond with strength.”
Governor Mike Dunleavy also weighed in and called for more military investments in Alaska. “Alaska’s strategic position on the globe gives the United States an advantage in the Arctic and the Pan Pacific, but we need leaders in Washington to recognize that Russia and China are increasing their military presence in the region, and the U.S. must increase its military investment in Alaska if we are to continue to ensure protection of our people and resources,” Dunleavy said.
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