Russian military aircraft fly near Alaska on four flights last week; Army does rapid response demonstration in Aleutians

Are 1960s Cold War tensions returning to Alaska? Russian military aircraft probed defenses offshore Alaska coasts four times last week. Earlier, the U.S. Army made a “show of force” with a rapid, surprise deployment of weapons and soldiers to Shemya in the Aleutians. That in turn followed large joint Russian and Chinese naval exercises in the North Pacific.

About 130 soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division at Joint Base Elememdorf-Richardson took part in the rapid deployment exercise, which also included bringing a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, system from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington and communications equipment from Hawaii.

Target acquisition radar was also deployed from JBER. The Alaska Air National Guard and the U.S. Air Force transported the equipment.

The exercise was prompted by increasing moves by Russia and China to move naval vessels into the North Pacific and Bering Sea, and an increasing number of air incursions near Alaska. The Russian and Chinese aircraft and naval vessel stayed in international waters and did not enter U.S. territorial air space or waters.

“The Army looks to us (the 11th Airbone Division) to be Arctic experts. We’ve got to be ready to operate in the region as part of the land power there,” Maj. Gen. Joseph Hilbert told Business Insider, a publication that reports on military affairs.

The event shows the Army’s ability to move assets adeptly and with short notice into remote areas, Business Insider was told.

In the air developments, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, said the air incursions involved two Russian IL-38 aircraft on Sept. 15, two Russian IL-38s on flights the day before, on Sept. 14; two Russian TU-142 aircraft on Sept. 13 and two other Russian military aircraft on Sept. 11. The Russian aircraft did not enter Alaska territorial airspace but did enter an air identification zone, NORAD said in press releases.

NORAD, said the air incursions involved two Russian IL-38 aircraft on Sept. 14; two Russian TU-142 aircraft on Sept. 13 and two orther Russian aircraft on Sept. 11. The Russian aircraft did not enter Alaska territorial airspace but did enter an air identification zone.