The US sent destroyers after stunning Russia and China in a joint naval operation off the coast of Alaska

This week, amid the conflict in Ukraine, China and Russia staged a coordinated naval operation close to the Alaskan coast.

This “highly provocative” action sparked a forceful US military response. According to The Wall Street Journal, eleven Russian and Chinese ships came within striking distance of the Aleutian Islands this week off the coast of Alaska, close to the maritime border between Russia and the US. However, the fleets never entered US waters.

Officials told the newspaper that the fleet of ships left after being followed by four US warships and P-8 Poseidon aircraft. Brent Sadler, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a former Navy captain, told the audience, “It is a historical first.”

This move is highly provocative given the context of the war in Ukraine and tensions around Taiwan.

A representative for the US Northern Command confirmed to the newspaper that the two American rivals conducted a joint naval patrol close to Alaska, but they would not specify how many ships were involved or their precise location.

“Operations were carried out to ensure the protection of the United States and Canada by air and marine assets operating under our control.

The patrol stayed in international waters and was not viewed as a danger, according to a statement from the command.

Information concerning the close invasion is still being declassified, and neither the precise time nor the precise location have been made public. The incursion occurred “within the last few days,” according to Republican Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan, who also noted that while the US military had a strong response, such an incident was rare.

First of all, Sullivan told KTUU, “This is unprecedented, not just for Alaska but for America, to have 11 warships operated jointly by the Chinese and Russians—wwho are increasingly working together—bbasically conducting freedom of navigation and navigation operations incursions into Alaska’s area.

“Yet another reminder that we have entered a new era of authoritarian aggression led by the dictators in Beijing and Moscow,” Sullivan wrote on the X platform, which was formerly known as Twitter, in response to the incident.