On September 19, the US Coast Guard ship Kimball “came across” a single formation of Russian and Chinese warships about 86 miles (138 kilometers) north of Alaska’s Kiska Island, AP has reported.
The news agency cited US officials as saying on Monday that the Kimball, which was on a routine patrol in the Bering Sea, observed as the ships, allegedly including a Russian destroyer, finally “broke formation and dispersed”.
US Rear Admiral Nathan Moore, Seventeenth Coast Guard District commander, told AP “while the formation has operated in accordance with international rules and norms, we will meet presence with presence to ensure there are no disruptions to US interests in the maritime environment around Alaska.” The Russian and Chinese navy officials have not commented on the matter yet.
Moore’s remarks come after the Russian military said earlier this month that China and Russia had launched joint naval drills in the Pacific. The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) said in a statement that destroyers and other warships form both countries carried out live fire training and helicopter deck flights.
The warship crews also practiced joint tactical maneuvering and ship-to-ship communications as part of joint patrols, according to the statement.
“The patrols’ objectives are to strengthen naval cooperation between the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China, maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as monitor waters and protect maritime economic activity,” the Russian MoD stressed.
Washington is considering building a military base in the far north of Alaska to counter Russia in the Arctic, even though America lacks icebreaker ships to freely operate in the Arctic's waters, with only two such vessels functional at the moment in the US.
The US has long opposed Russia's efforts to expand its activities, both scientific and military, in the Arctic region, despite Moscow's request to the UN to extend the borders of its continental shelf in the north. Russia seeks to explore the Arctic's gas and oil reserves, as well as to turn it to a major trading route, possibly connecting it to China's Belt and Road initiative.