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Eleven military vessels from China and Russia found operating near the Aleutian
Islands last week were met by four U.S. Navy destroyers, Alaska’s two U.S.
senators said. 

The two Republican senators, Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski, issued a joint
news release Saturday night saying they had been briefed about the operation.



"We have been in close contact with leadership from Alaska Command for several
days now and received detailed classified briefings about the foreign vessels,"
Murkowski said.

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"The incursion by 11 Chinese and Russian warships operating together – off the
coast of Alaska – is yet another reminder that we have entered a new era of
authoritarian aggression led by the dictators in Beijing and Moscow," Sullivan
said.

The war in Ukraine and China-Taiwan tensions have strained U.S. relations with
the two countries. "This move is highly provocative," Brent Sadler, a retired
Navy captain and senior research fellow at the right-leaning Heritage
Foundation, told The Wall Street Journal.

Although the senators' statement suggested the vessels were passing through U.S.
waters, the Northern Command told the Journal the combined force did not appear
to enter U.S. territory. “Air and maritime assets under our commands conducted
operations to assure the defense of the United States and Canada. The patrol
remained in international waters and was not considered a threat,” it told the
Journal in a statement.



The command did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment, nor
did the State Department. The Chinese and Russian embassies could not be reached
either.

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HAVE OTHER JOINT EXERCISES TAKEN PLACE IN THE AREA?

This is at least the third year in a row that Chinese naval ships have sailed in
or near waters off the Aleutian islands in the Bering Sea and North Pacific
Ocean. A similar joint exercise took place last year.

In September 2022, the U.S. Coast Guard reported the crew of the cutter Kimball,
during a routine patrol in the Bering Sea, encountered a People's Republic of
China guided missile cruiser off Alaska’s Kiska Island. The crew later
identified two more Chinese naval ships and four Russian naval vessels,
including a destroyer. 

At the time, Coast Guard Rear Adm. Nathan Moore said the formation was operating
in accordance with international rules and norms but would be met
"presence-with-presence to ensure there are no disruptions to U.S. interests in
the maritime environment around Alaska."



In September 2021, Coast Guard cutters in the Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean
encountered Chinese ships, some about 50 miles off the Aleutians, according to
The Associated Press.


WHAT HAS BEEN THE US RESPONSE?

Sullivan said he was encouraged by the Navy’s response this year, adding it
"sends a strong message to Xi Jinping and Putin that the United States will not
hesitate to protect and defend our vital national interests in Alaska."

Last summer's response was "tepid," Sullivan said. He said he had "encouraged
senior military leaders to be ready with a much more robust response should such
another joint Chinese/Russian naval operation occur off our coast."

The incident is "a stark reminder of Alaska’s proximity to both China and
Russia, as well as the essential role our state plays in our national defense
and territorial sovereignty," Murkowski said. 


CONCERNS NOT NEW OVER ACTIVITY IN THE ARCTIC REGION

The U.S. Navy and others have been concerned for decades about increased
military activity in the Arctic region given the warming climate and more open
water as a result of melting sea ice.

The incident last summer occurred about a month after NATO had warned about
China's interest in the Arctic and Russia's military buildup there. The
Associated Press reported that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said
Russia had set up a new Arctic command and opened new and former Arctic military
sites.

Five Chinese naval ships also sailed through U.S. territorial waters off Alaska
while participating in a joint exercise with Russia in September 2015.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: China, Russia send warships near
Alaska; US responds with Navy destroyers




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Roughly a year ago, a pilot from China who has flown at least three different
fighter planes has revealed he is learning from his flights in a J-10 to be able
to operate a stealth fifth-generation Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon.

Chen Liu, who is seemingly one of China’s best pilots judging from his record
with other airplanes, told state-run media in a recent interview that the J-20
can sometimes be a handful due to its robust weapon systems.

Still, overall, his review of the Mighty Dragon is positive with few complaints.
The J-20 is China’s version of the American F-35 or F-22 and is lauded as
Beijing’s best fighter.


CHINA IS GOING PUBLIC WITH J-20 FLIGHT

The EurAsian Times translated an interview with Chen from CCTV that was posted
on YouTube several months back. Aside from dealing with munitions, he said the
avionics of the newer J-20 makes it easier to fly than the J-10. The J-10 is a
fourth-generation People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) fighter whose
origins date back to 1988. It entered service in 2004. The J-10 is considered
the “backbone” of the PLAAF.

 


J-20 PILOTS MUST RAPIDLY DEAL WITH INCOMING DATA




Chen mentioned that the J-20 can vacuum up a “vast amount of data – something
similar to the F-35 – which is then processed before being relayed to the
pilot.” He stated that the J-10’s single-seat configuration prepared him well
for the single-seat of the J-20 since pilots are expected to quickly process all
the information that is displayed in the cockpit of the latest warplane.




NO FLIGHT PROBLEMS EXCEPT FOR CHALLENGING OPERATIONS OF WEAPONS

Chen said that he “had no problems when he first began flying the J-20, he
mentioned that the aircraft is difficult to master because of its sophisticated
weapon system.” The munitions in the J-20 are in internal weapons bays and they
are believed to carry “four to six long-range missiles or bombs,” according to
the National Interest. The defense magazine goes on to describe the
multi-mission role of the J-20, “observers mostly speculate the J-20 would
either serve as long-range supersonic strike plane, or a hit-and-run interceptor
used to slip past fighter screens and take out vulnerable supporting tanker and
AWACS planes.”




THEY’RE MAKING THEM FAST

If other PLAAF pilots are having similar success flying the J-20 this bodes well
for China. The country may have as many as 150 J-20s in service and the
manufacturing lines are still running. The PLAAF may be getting one J-20 every
month, and these are similar in capability to American F-35 and F-22
fifth-generation fighters. This is because China likely stole design plans from
the United States.

The J-20 can speed along at almost MACH 2, and it has a ceiling of around 60,000
feet with a range of 1,200 to 2,000 miles (we note that range estimates are
varied based on sourcing).


TIME TO DEAL WITH THE REALITY OF THE J-20

Interestingly, the PLAAF is willing to let a pilot be interviewed in a national
media outlet about the J-20, which China is usually tight-lipped about. This
means the PLAAF has confidence in the program and is happy to see the United
States and its East Asian allies sweat about the J-20 capabilities.

It’s time for the U.S. military to quit squawking about stolen designs. What’s
done is done. The Pentagon should now plan for potential scenarios in which an
F-22 or F-35 would get in a dogfight with the J-20 in a potential conflict with
China. The Mighty Dragon is a reality, and more are on the way.

Now serving as 1945s New Defense and National Security Editor, Brent M.
Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in
Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer.

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