China and Russia sent warships to the Alaskan coast during a joint patrol this week. The U.S. Navy responded and Alaska senators condemned the action.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the two countries sent 11 ships near Alaska’s southwest coastline — close to the Aleutian Islands. However, they never entered American water. Experts told the outlet that this is probably the largest fleet of Russian or Chinese ships to ever approach the American coastline.

Brent Sadler, senior research fellow at Heritage Foundation, stated that this was a historic first. This move is provocative, especially in the context of war in Ukraine and tensions surrounding Taiwan.

Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, of Alaska, told Fox News that the U.S. Navy had mobilized four destroyers in order to guide and shadow the Chinese and Russian vessels away from Alaska’s coastline. The Journal reported that a U.S. Defense official stated the USS John S. McCain tracked the foreign ships and was accompanied by a naval patrol and reconnaissance aircraft.

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A U.S. Northern Command spokesperson confirmed to The Journal that a combined patrol of Russian and Chinese vessels had taken place, but refused to confirm the number or location of the ships.

A U.S. Northern Command press release stated that “air and maritime assets under the command of our command conducted operations in order to ensure the defense and safety of the United States and Canada.” The patrol was conducted in international waters, and it was not deemed a threat.

The Chinese Embassy spokesperson told the outlet that the patrol, and the location of it, “does not target any third party or have anything to do with current international and regional situations.”

Sullivan described the move as “unprecedented”, “concerning” and added, “It only solidifies the idea that we have entered a new era authoritarian aggression lead by the dictators of Beijing and Moscow. They are becoming increasingly aggressive.”

Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-AK, expressed similar concerns about the rising tensions. She also explained Alaska’s importance in national security and foreign relations due to its proximity to Russia. Murkowski asked her Senate colleagues to support more funding and resources in Alaska for military readiness.

Sullivan said the U.S. response was “significantly improved” from the “tepid response” of the U.S. to a smaller fleet in September. Fox News reported that the fleet was 90 miles away from the Aleutian Islands and comprised seven Russian and Chinese vessels. The U.S. responded by sending a Coast Guard cutter.

“We increased that significantly.” Four U.S. destroyers, as well as air assets (P-8s), were closely monitoring and tracking this massive Russian-Chinese taskforce. “That is a significant change,” Sullivan said about the recent incursion. “That’s quite a bit of naval force up there demonstrating American resolve.”

The Journal reports that Admiral John Aquilino of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said at the Aspen Security Forum in Aspen, Colorado, last month, that joint Russian-Chinese exercises have increased. “I see that the cooperation is only getting stronger and that’s very concerning.” He said, “That’s a very dangerous world.”

The Journal reports that there is a current struggle for power and dominance in the Arctic region. Russian-Chinese patrols seem to be a part of this struggle. Their cooperation in the region shows an increasing level of cooperation between Moscow, China and other countries. According to the Arctic Council which is an international forum focusing on the Arctic region, the Aleut Region, where the Aleutian Islands lie, is called the “doorway into the Arctic.”

The website of the Council states that eight countries have territories in the Arctic and act as “stewards” for the region. The U.S. and Canada are among them, as is Russia, Denmark and Finland. Iceland, Sweden and Norway also make up the group. According to the Arctic Council, their national jurisdictions and international laws govern the land surrounding the Arctic Ocean.

RAND Corporation reports that China claimed to be a “near Arctic state” in 2018, in an effort to gain a larger role as a regional leader. It has tried to establish mining and gas operations in the area and claims that it is “an active participant, builder and contributor in Arctic Affairs.”