- Amidst an increase in Russian military activity off the coast of the United States, the U.S. Navy discovered and monitored four Russian military planes off the coast of Alaska on Monday. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) announced in a statement late on Monday that the four Russian aircraft were operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).
- While the ADIZ is just outside U.S. sovereign airspace, the portion of international airspace does require all aircraft to readily identify themselves in the interest of national security.
- The statement said, “The Russian aircraft stayed in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace.” This routine Russian operation in the Alaska ADIZ is not considered a threat.
- What kind of military planes they were remained a mystery to officials. The action takes place a few days after some 130 US military personnel, equipped with mobile rocket launchers, were sent to a remote area in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.
- As part of the deployment, soldiers from Alaska, Washington, and Hawaii were dispatched to Shemya Island by the 11th Airborne Division and the 1st and 3rd Multi Domain Task Forces, according to The Associated Press.