China And Russia Conduct Joint Naval Exercise Near Alaska, Triggering US Response
Russia and China carried out a joint naval mission near the US territory this week, triggering a massive response by the US Navy, per Fox News Digital. This joint mission, executed by two American adversaries, comprised 11 vessels and neared the southwestern coast of Alaska, per Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, who was given a briefing on the matter earlier in the week by the US defense officials.
Sullivan mentioned that the US Navy mobilized four destroyers to guide the Russian and Chinese ships away from American waters.
This is unforeseen regarding the scope and size of the joint naval task force between China and Russia, collaborating very closely, Sullivan informed Fox News Digital over a phone interview late on Saturday. Whether one lives in Alaska like him or resides on the East Coast of the US, a huge surface action task force between the two main adversaries, probing closely to the US shores, is highly concerning.
He added that it solidifies that they have entered an era of authoritarian aggression spearheaded by the dictators in Moscow and Beijing, who are becoming increasingly aggressive. Besides the four destroyers mobilized, the US also sent out P-8 Poseidon aircraft to shadow the Russian and Chinese vessels away from the coast of Alaska, per The Wall Street Journal. The ship neared the Aleutian Islands but did not enter the territorial waters of the US.
Sullivan further mentioned that the US response improved considerably compared to a similar, albeit smaller, incident in September. The US sent out a single Coast Guard cutter once it observed that a guided missile cruiser from China was alongside two Chinese vessels and four ships from Russia, approximately 90 miles north of the Aleutian Islands, on 19 September last year. Efforts were ramped up significantly.
Four US destroyers and air assets, P-8s, were closely tracking and monitoring such a large-scale Russia-China task force. So, that’s a significant improvement, mentioned Sullivan. That also indicates a lot of naval power, demonstrating American resolve. He said that he would continue pressing — whether it is the Obama, Trump, or now the Biden administration — to commit more Naval, Coast Guard, and improved Marine presence and assets in this side of America, he explained. The Biden administration needs to be serious regarding the defense budgets.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment right away. The Pentagon had referred Fox News Digital to the U.S. Northern Command, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. This is a historical first, mentioned Brent Sadler, a senior research fellow associated with the Heritage Foundation, informed The Wall Street Journal. The move is highly provocative, given the context of the war in Ukraine and ongoing tension around Taiwan.
Reference: Daily Mail, News Yahoo
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