A combined Russian and Chinese naval force patrolled near the coast of Alaska earlier this week in what U.S. experts said appeared to be the largest such flotilla to approach American shores.
Eleven Russian and Chinese ships steamed close to the Aleutian Islands, according to U.S. officials. The ships, which never entered U.S. territorial waters and have since left, were shadowed by four U.S. destroyers and P-8 Poseidon aircraft.
“It is a historical first,” said Brent Sadler, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a retired Navy captain. “Given the context of the war in Ukraine and tensions around Taiwan, this move is highly provocative.” A spokesman for the U.S. Northern Command confirmed that Russia and China had carried out a combined naval patrol near Alaska, but didn’t specify the number of ships or their precise location.
Russian warships and Chinese research vessels have been observed in the Arctic region before.
“But to see these combatants form up in a surface action group together and steam together, that’s what’s rare,” Rear Adm. Nathan Moore, who was Coast Guard commander for the Alaska region until last month.
This is not the first time such an incident has occurred. Last September, the Americans responded with only one Coast Guard cutter to meet a missile cruiser escorted by two more Chinese and four Russian ships. However, this time, the US demonstrated "American resolve" by sending four destroyers, U.S. Air Force combat assets, and even P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft.
