Photo: TED ALJIBE / AFP / Getty Images
A United States Coast Guard vessel during a routine patrol in the Bering Sea encountered a cruise ship carrying guided missiles from China, officials reported Monday.
But it turned out that the cruiser was not alone, as it sailed about 86 miles (138 kilometers) north of Alaska’s Kiska Island, on 50 September.
The patrol boat, known as a cutter named Kimball, later discovered that there were two other Chinese naval ships and four Russian naval ships, including a destroyer, all in formation.
The Kimball, based in Honolulu, a ship of 127 meters (800 feet), he watched the ships break formation and scatter. A Hercules C-130 provided air support to the Kimball from the Coast Guard Station in Kodiak.
“Although the training has operated in accordance with international rules and regulations, we will comply with presence to guarantee that there are no interruptions in US interests in the maritime environment around Alaska”, said Rear Admiral Nathan Moore, commander of the Coast Guard District 17.
The Coast Guard said Operation Frontier Sentinel guidelines require compliance with “presence with presence” when strategic competitors operate in and around US waters.
The Kimball will continue to monitor the area.
The Chinese and Russian formation came a month after Secretary NATO General Jens Stoltenberg warned of China’s interest in the Arctic and the Russia’s military buildup there.
Stoltenberg said that Russia has established a new Arctic Command and has opened hundreds of new and old Arctic military sites from the Soviet era, including deepwater ports and airfields.
China has declared itself a “near Arctic” state and plans to build the world’s largest icebreaker, he said.
“Beijing and Moscow also pledged to intensify practical cooperation in the Arctic. This is part of a deepening strategic partnership that challenges our values and interests,” Stoltenberg said on a visit to northern Canada.
This was not the first time Chinese naval ships had sailed near Alaskan waters. In September of 2021, Coast Guardsmen in the Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean encountered Chinese ships, some within 50 miles (80 kilometers) of the Aleutian Islands.
Read more
Average price of gasoline in Los Angeles County reached $5.88 dollars per gallon
Hurricane Ian alters its path and will hit Venice, Florida as a category 3 storm on Wednesday night, according to the forecast
The visa lottery 2024 already has an assigned date for receive requests