U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan released a statement after the U.S. Army’s 11th Airborne Division announced the deployment of more than 100 soldiers to Shemya Island in the Aleutian Islands in response to increased Russian and Chinese warship activity near Alaska.
The U.S. military has also deployed a mobile guided missile destroyer to Shemya, and a Coast Guard cutter to the western region of Alaska, where warships were observed off Point Hope. On Sept. 10, Russia and China began the Ocean-24 military exercises in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans—Russia’s largest joint naval and air drill since the Cold War.
In the past week, Alaska-based forces detected and tracked four separate incursions of Russian military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone and one incursion of Russian naval vessels in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone , which are believed to be part of the joint exercises. Similar Russia-China exercises occurred near Alaska in July as well which led to the first-ever air incursion into the Alaska ADIZ by a joint Russian-Chinese bomber task force.
“As the world becomes more dangerous, Alaska continues to be on the frontlines of authoritarian aggression,” Sullivan 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. In the past two years, we’ve seen joint Russian-Chinese air and naval exercises off our shores and a Chinese spy balloon floating over our communities. These escalating incidents demonstrate the critical role the Arctic plays in great power competition between the U.S., Russia, and China.”
Sullivan noted that authoritarian regimes appear to be testing the United States.
“Dictators like Vladimir Putin see through a lens of either strength or weakness, which is why I’ve long encouraged our senior military leaders to be ready and to respond with strength. While I was pleased with our military’s response which included sending troops to the Aleutians as well as a guided missile destroyer and Coast Guard Cutter, these actions should have more of a permanent basis – like reopening the Navy base at Adak, Alaska, which I have been pressing to be done for years,” said Sullivan, who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“Congress and the President should do more to deter further aggression. 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. In addition to rejecting the proposed Biden-Harris cuts on our military forces, the legislation authorizes an additional $790 million to help continue to build out our military in Alaska. 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.”
Dan you have harmed us worse & you have no accomplishments to list for us list your accomplishments sir please. Its time for a new way a new crew we the people & GOD are sick of debt & being mocked sir. Lets look at your pensions let’s look at your insurance let’s look at your pay raises you clowns bipartisan work together great on your way out to pasture. All talk smoke & mirrors we the people eat shit & like it now kiss the ring clowns a child could achieve more
God wants you to clean up your language.
I Red Flag that comment!
What does our Governor have to say? Has he deployed any of our Guard ?
Fear, Fear, Fear your existence! Gee, this and all past fear campaigns seem a bit like being in a cult. Don’t they?
As usual, Swampy comes to the realization the rest of us reached long ago.
Doesn’t matter, however. DC will watch disinterested and not let us do anything.
Just like Senator Ted Stevens, Lisa and Dan never seen a defense spending bill they did not like 😉
The Russians are sneaking around EVERYWHERE in Alsska! Don’t go to Delta or Homer! Evil Russians! Thank God we have Sullivan and Murkowski and Mary to protect us!
Lol Those Russians are more American than Murkowski and Peltola!
Remember we can’t damage the state land because it’s all environmentally protected and can’t be altered.
The greenies will be in court during everybody if the military damages the ground.
Yep, the times that ole Dan comes out is when there’s a good crisis that cannot go to waste. Pushing the fear porn again. Beg him to spend more money on our military and defenses to protect us from the things that our own regime are creating.
Seriously?? My comment was EDITED! Post it or don’t post it, but don’t edit it, because that’s NOT what I said! When I say “Mary Fishcakes”, I mean Mary Fishcakes!
I encourage people to be respectful and use people’s real names. If people cannot be respectful enough to use real names, I’ll either fix if I have time or delete the comment if I don’t. – sd
Respect is earned. If they don’t earn it, they shouldn’t get it.
Suzanne. This oath integrity person has to be a Russian.?? Their entire writing is bizarre.
We need a Navy Base here in Alaska. We have more coastline than the lower 48.
Always seemed kind of odd to me, too. We have Army and Air Force. We should have our Navy here with a fleet of modern icebreakers.
Perhaps if the US didn’t start by futzing around in their backyards, they wouldn’t see the need to futz around in ours. Plus, open two-way dialogue would much more productive than the one-sided garbage the US and NATO Cartel gangsters engages in and calls “diplomacy” and “statesmanship”.
Deep State Dan, our Senator from Ohio never met a war he didn’t like. Is there any more immoral than constantly working to generate fear and fund needless wars that get our troops killed for no reason? I can’t think of one. Stop sending using our troops for bait for other countries and concentrate on defense. Let other nations worry about theirs.
After falsely accusing them of meddling in elections, never any proof, blowing up their pipeline and funding a proxy war against them… The worst they’ve done to you is buzz your border on the north while the border to the south is wide open and is an actual real time danger for Americans… And after all that the Russians still give US astronauts a ride to ISS… How bad are these bad guys ???
And back again… They just brought back another US Astronaut today… Soyuz MS-25 lands from ISS with NASA astronaut and record-setting cosmonauts… Space.com ^^^
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