More Russian military planes, ships off Alaska

North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected and tracked four Russian military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on September 23, 2024. This follows a series of flights by Russian military aircraft in the last week.

The Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace. This Russian activity in the Alaska ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat.

An ADIZ begins where sovereign airspace ends and is a defined stretch of international airspace that requires the ready identification of all aircraft in the interest of national security.

NORAD employs a layered defense network of satellites, ground-based and airborne radars and fighter aircraft to track aircraft and inform appropriate actions. NORAD remains ready to employ a number of response options in defense of North America. Russian surface ships and two submarines were also detected in the Chukchi Sea, off Point Hope.

In a statement, Gov. Mike Dunleavy said, “The U.S. must increase its military investment in Alaska if we are to continue to ensure protection of our people.” The U.S. Army also made a “show of force” with a rapid, surprise deployment of weapons and soldiers to Shemya in the Aleutians. That followed joint Russian and Chinese naval exercises in the North Pacific. Soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division at Joint Base Elemendorf-Richardson were involved along with a High Mobility Artillery Rockey System, or HIMARS, from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington. The exercise was prompted by increasing moves from Russia and China in the region to demonstrate the U.S. capability to move quickly in the region. The North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, said the air incursions involved two Russian IL-38 aircraft on Sept. 14; two Russian TU-142 aircraft on Sept. 13 and two other Russian aircraft on Sept. 11.