Increased military activity off the coast of Alaska continues as four Russian aircraft were detected by the U.S. military on Monday. The aircraft were tracked within the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), a buffer zone where foreign planes must identify themselves, though they remained in international airspace and did not breach U.S. or Canadian territory, according to NORAD.
This detection occurred shortly after the U.S. Army deployed approximately 130 soldiers to Shemya Island on September 12 in response to heightened Russian and Chinese military exercises. The soldiers, from the 11th Airborne Division, were positioned as a show of force, equipped with mobile rocket launchers.
The Russian activity coincided with joint Russian-Chinese military drills involving aircraft and navy vessels, including submarines, near U.S. waters. Although no incursions into U.S. airspace were reported, Russian activity in the ADIZ has increased significantly, with 25 incidents recorded so far this year, up from 26 in 2023. The U.S. continues to bolster its presence in the region as tensions with Russia and China persist.
