Discovery in the Bering Sea made by the Coast Guard.
A group of Russian and Chinese warships were discovered earlier this month by the U.S. Coast Guard as they operated north of Alaska’s Bering Sea islands.
The Coast Guard cutter Kimball first identified the Chinese guided-missile cruiser 75 nautical miles north of the remote Kiska Island. Kimball’s crew later observed a formation of seven vessels. Four of the foreign ships were identified as Russian, including a navy destroyer, and three belonged to China. The first vessel was spotted on September 19.
The Coast Guard stated, “The Kimball crew is now operating under Operation Frontier Sentinel, the Seventeenth Coast Guard District operation designed to meet presence with presence wherein strategic competitors operate in and around U.S. waters.”
The Coast Guard did clarify that the Russian and Chinese ships were following international rules of the sea. “While the formation has operated in accordance with international rules and norms, we will meet presence-with-presence to ensure there are no disruptions to U.S. interests in the maritime environment around Alaska,” Rear Admiral Nathan Moore said.
The Chinese and Russian formation came a month after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned about China’s interest in the Arctic and Russia’s military buildup there. The UN secretary general said Russia has set up a new Arctic Command and has opened hundreds of new and former Soviet-era Arctic military sites, including deep-water ports and airfields. He also said China has declared itself a “near Arctic” state and plans to build the world’s largest icebreaker.
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Sources: Western Journal, NBC News
