A U.S. Coast Guard ship comes across Chinese and Russian naval vessels while patrolling Bering Sea off Alaska island.
A U.S. Coast Guard vessel on routine patrol in the Bering Sea has reported encountering Chinese military carriers and Russian Navy ships off the coast of an Alaskan island.
The Coast Guard cutter first spotted a Chinese guided missile cruiser on Sept. 19, then later discovered the ship was not alone. Two other Chinese naval ships and four Russian military vessels, including a destroyer, were spotted in single formation about 90 miles off Alaska's Kiska Island, reported the American ship known as the Kimball.
The Honolulu-based ship, a 418-foot vessel, watched as the foreign carriers broke formation and sailed off. A C-130 Hercules provided air support for the Kimball from the Coast Guard station in Kodiak, the military branch said.
"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 U.S. interests in the maritime environment around Alaska," Rear Adm. Nathan Moore, the 17th Coast Guard District commander said in a statement.
The encounter comes about a month after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned China had increased interest in the Artic and Russia was conducting a military buildup in the region.
Stoltenberg said Russia had established and reopened hundreds of military sites, including deep-water ports and airfields.
