WASHINGTON DC (WSAU) – Four U.S. warships were sent to the Aleutian Islands after 11 Russian and Chinese warships were seen operating off the coast of Alaska over the weekend.
According to the Daily Caller, Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski, two Republican senators from Alaska, verified the existence of the warships and emphasized the importance of the issue.
“First and foremost, this is unprecedented, not just for Alaska, but for America, to have 11 warships jointly operated by the Chinese and Russians — who are increasingly working together — essentially doing freedom of navigation and navigation operations incursions into Alaska’s area,” Sullivan told Alaska News Source.
Senator Murkowski followed up by saying, “This is a stark reminder of Alaska’s proximity to both China and Russia, as well as the essential role our state plays in our national defense and territorial sovereignty. Incursions like this are why we are working so hard to secure funding and resources to expand our military’s capacity and capabilities in Alaska, and why our colleagues must join us in supporting those investments.”
China and Russia have running joint military drills since the summer of 2021 when they began the Sibu Cooperation. The large-scale joint military exercise in north-central China involved more than 10,000 troops and last December, Russia, and China held joint naval exercises in the East China Sea where technology such as several surface warships submarines, and aircraft were tested.
In February, China called for an end to the war in Ukraine and laid out a 12-point peace plan which prompted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to speak with his Chinese counterpart saying that he did not trust China’s claims of neutrality in the Ukraine war and that Washington was “concerned about China’s alignment with Russia.”
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