The US Coast Guard in Alaska came across Russian and Chinese vessels on an ordinary patrol earlier this month, the agency has said.
In an announcement on Monday, the agency said the surprise encounter with a formation of Russian and Chinese ships came came on September, 19th about 75 miles north of Kiska Island, in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
Two Chinese naval ships, a guided missile cruiser and four Russian naval vessels, including a destroyer, were spotted in single formation, the patrol boat, known as a cutter called Kimball, discovered.
Kimball, a 418-foot vessel based in Honolulu, observed as the ships broke formation and dispersed. A C-130 Hercules provided air support for the Kimball from the Coast Guard station in Kodiak.
“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, Seventeenth Coast Guard District commander said.
The Coast Guard said Operation Frontier Sentinel guidelines call for meeting “presence with presence” when strategic competitors operate in and around U.S. waters.
The Kimball will continue to monitor the area.
The Coast Guard did not immediately respond to questions about the incident from The Associated Press.
