Interior Alaska News

U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued a statement following the U.S. Army’s 11th Airborne Division's deployment of over 100 soldiers to the Aleutian Islands in response to heightened Russian and Chinese activity near Alaska. The U.S. military also deployed a guided missile destroyer and a Coast Guard cutter to Alaska's western region.

On September 10, Russia and China initiated the Ocean-24 military exercises in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans, marking Russia’s largest joint naval and air drill since the Cold War. Over the past week, Alaska-based forces detected four separate incursions by Russian military aircraft into the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) and one incursion by Russian naval vessels into the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). These activities are believed to be part of the joint exercises.

Senator Sullivan commented on these developments: “As the world becomes more dangerous, Alaska continues to be on the frontlines of authoritarian aggression,” he said. “Coordinated activity off Alaska’s shores by the Russians and Chinese is increasing: On five separate occasions in the past seven days, Russian military incursions into our ADIZ or EEZ have occurred – both naval and air.”

He further highlighted recent incidents involving joint Russian-Chinese exercises near Alaska, including an unprecedented air incursion by a joint bomber task force in July, as well as sightings of a Chinese spy balloon over Alaskan communities.

“These escalating incidents demonstrate the critical role the Arctic plays in great power competition between the U.S., Russia, and China," Sullivan stated. He emphasized that authoritarian regimes are testing U.S. strength: "Dictators like Vladimir Putin see through a lens of either strength or weakness."

Sullivan expressed approval for recent military responses but called for more permanent measures such as reopening the Navy base at Adak, Alaska—a proposal he has long advocated.

“Congress and the President should do more to deter further aggression,” Sullivan urged. He specifically called out Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer: “Chuck Schumer needs to hold a vote on the National Defense Authorization Act that was voted out of the Senate Armed Services Committee in June.”

The legislation includes an additional $790 million aimed at bolstering military presence in Alaska while rejecting proposed cuts from Biden-Harris administration plans.

“We must continue to send a strong message to Xi Jinping and Putin that the United States will not hesitate to protect and defend our vital interests in Alaska and beyond,” concluded Sullivan.

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