US watching Chinese marine presence off Alaska, Arctic Coast Guard chief says – Defense News

US watching Chinese marine presence off Alaska, Arctic Coast Guard chief says  Defense News

The United States is watching China’s presence in its Arctic zone “very closely” amid increasing concerns, a senior U.S. Arctic military official said. The United States is watching China’s presence in its Arctic zone “very closely” amid concerns regarding the security of the U.S. homeland, a senior U.S. Arctic military official said. So far in 2026, four Chinese research vessels have conducted work offshore in the U.S. Arctic, compared to a total of five in 2025, Rear Adm. Bob Little, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Arctic District, told Reuters. The Chinese ships sailed in the maritime zones off the U.S. state of Alaska, including the Aleutian Islands, into the Bering Strait and as far north as the North Pole, he said during a visit to Oslo to speak at a conference on Arctic security.

“Where I have responsibility, interest and concern is when they are operating in and around U.S. sovereign space,” said Little. “So inside of our exclusive economic zones, or over our extended continental shelf, we certainly have a security concern. And so those are the types of activities that we see that we’re watching very closely.” The ships remained in international waters but had not notified the U.S. of their presence in advance through diplomatic channels, as would be the usual practice. “When we challenge them