Increased Russian Military Activity Prompts US to Deploy More Soldiers to Alaska

September 18, 2024 TruthUSA

Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) referred to the recent Chinese and Russian exercises near Alaska as ‘Russia’s largest joint naval and air drill since the Cold War.’

In response to the increased Russian military activity near U.S. territory, over 100 soldiers have been deployed to a remote island in Alaska’s Aleutian chain along with advanced weaponry.

Both Russian and Chinese military presence in the region has escalated, resulting in the deployment of soldiers to Shemya Island on Sept. 12, where two High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) were brought.

Shemya Island, located about 1,200 miles southwest of Anchorage, houses an air station dating back to World War II. This strategic move, known as a “force projection operation,” is a direct response to the increased Russian and Chinese military drills near U.S. airspace.

Over the past week, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) reported detecting and tracking Russian military planes operating off Alaska over a four-day span, including two planes each on Sept. 11 and Sept. 13–15.

During a routine patrol in the Chukchi Sea on Sept. 16, the Coast Guard Cutter Stratton also spotted the ships, including two submarines and a frigate. While the vessels crossed the U.S. exclusive economic zone, they remained compliant with international maritime norms.

Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder stated that they are closely monitoring these developments.

“It’s not the first time that we’ve seen the Russians and the Chinese flying in the vicinity and that’s something that we obviously closely monitor and it’s also something that we’re prepared to respond to,” Ryder stated during a press conference at The Pentagon on Sept. 17.

He mentioned that while these incursions are concerning, they do not currently pose a direct threat to U.S. national security.

Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, urged the U.S. Navy to reopen its former base at Adak, Alaska, closed in 1997, in a statement on Sept. 17.

Sullivan highlighted that the U.S. military had sent a guided missile destroyer and a Coast Guard vessel to the western region of Alaska as Russia and China conducted the “Ocean-24” military exercises in the Pacific and Arctic oceans on Sept. 10, referring to them as “Russia’s largest joint naval and air drill since the Cold War.”

“Alaska remains on the frontlines of authoritarian aggression as the world grows more dangerous,” Sullivan’s statement read. “Recent joint Russian-Chinese military activities near our shores, including a Chinese spy balloon, demonstrate the crucial role the Arctic plays in the competition between the U.S., Russia, and China.”

Sullivan commended the U.S. military’s response but called for more permanent measures and urged Congress and the Biden Administration to pass the National Defense Authorization Act to bolster U.S. military presence in Alaska and send a clear deterrent message to adversaries like Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Sullivan’s call for action aligns with the broader U.S. military focus on the Arctic.

The Department of Defense’s 2024 Arctic Strategy emphasizes the region’s strategic importance, particularly as it becomes a focal point for U.S. defense efforts against growing Russian and Chinese challenges.

Military experts have noted that recent joint military exercises by Russia and China signify a deliberate challenge to U.S. dominance in the Arctic, a region critical for missile defense and natural resources.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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