- A vehicle carrying Chinese citizens and a drone recently breached a security checkpoint at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks
- Details of security infringements are largely classified but officials warn they are beefing up security on Alaskan military bases
|
A vehicle carrying Chinese citizens blew through a checkpoint at Fort Wainwright base
Alaska has three major military bases, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, and Fort Wainwright and Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks
Suspected Chinese spies disguised as tourists have made multiple attempts to infiltrate US military bases in Alaska, according to US officials.
The attempted breaches may be probes into US military activities in the state, soldiers familiar with the matter told USA Today.
On one recent occasion, a vehicle carrying Chinese citizens blew past a security checkpoint at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks.
The vehicle was stopped and the occupants claimed to be tourists but a search of their car revealed a drone.
Most of the details of suspected Chinese spying incidents in Alaska remain classified and Kathleen Hicks, the Pentagon's No. 2 official, refused to comment on the matter, except to say the military is taking a number of steps to ensure bases are secure.
During a recent visit to Alaska Hicks told reporters 'We take the safety and security of our people in our installations very seriously.'
'We always live with the possibility of intrusion on our installations, and so we work very hard to make sure, working alongside state and local authorities and others, that those bases and installations are protected from threats.
'We take a lot of measures to do that. And we're going to make sure we can continue to protect our installation so our folks can perform their missions.'
Two officials told USA Today that security at some military bases has indeed been beefed up in response to the threat.
Iris Ferguson, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Arctic and Global Resiliences, told a September news conference that Chinese leaders have 'been trying to insert themselves into the Arctic.'
'So, we're being very mindful about their activity and in wanting to ensure that our interests are protected in the region,' he added.
Sen. Dan Sullivan called the reported spying incidents in Alaska a 'wake-up call.'
'Whether it’s a Chinese spy balloon, Russian Bear Bombers, or this new reporting of suspected Chinese spies in Alaska, this is another wake-up call that we are in a new era of authoritarian aggression led by dictators in China and Russia,' Sullivan said in a statement.
Two officials claimed that security at some military bases has indeed been beefed up
Alaska's largely empty terrain provides the military with the space and cover to perform major training exercises
There are currently around 12,000 soldiers and 10,000 active-duty Air Force personnel stationed in Alaska
Adding: 'It’s also another example of just how important Alaska is for America’s national defense. In my oversight role, I am pressing for more details on these alleged security breaches and will continue to work with the Defense Department to ensure our installations in Alaska remain secure.'
Cases of spying are taken over by the Department of Justice and the FBI, which estimate that a new investigation on Chinese-sponsored espionage is opened every 12 hours.
The FBI Christopher Wray Director has regularly warned about the threat from Chinese spying, but blames Communist leaders rather than the country's citizens.
'There is no doubt that the greatest long-term threat to our nation’s ideas, our economic security and our national security is that posed by the Chinese communist government,' Wray said in a speech in April.
The Chinese government may be interested in Alaska given some of the Pentagon's most sophisticated military capabilities reside there.
Alaska's vast wilderness attracts tourists who come from all over the world to view the Northern Lights.
In addition the state's largely empty terrain provides the military with the space and cover to perform major training exercises.
Every year the US hosts the Northern Edge war game in the state which allows thousands of troops and more than 150 warplanes from the US, United Kingdom and Australia to train against military adversaries such as Russia and China.
Alaska has three major military bases, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, and Fort Wainwright and Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks, as well as several other smaller facilities.
There are currently around 12,000 soldiers and 10,000 active-duty Air Force personnel stationed in Alaska.
Tensions have been rising between the US and China, and the Chinese spy balloon that flew over the US earlier this year caused a diplomatic rupture.
The balloon entered US airspace on 28 January and was shot down on 4 February after passing over US nuclear missile sites, including the Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana.
The balloon, which Beijing previously denied was a government spy vessel, launched from southern China in late January.
It then drifted east and entered US airspace over Alaska on 28 January and was tracked as it flew over Malmstrom Air Force base in Montana, where nuclear assets are stored.
President Joe Biden was briefed two days later and elected to shoot it down over the Atlantic on 4 February, a week after it entered the US.
Just last week, tensions came to the fore again when a Chinese fighter jet flew in front of a US Air Force plane, forcing it to encounter turbulence, according to the Pentagon's Indo-Pacific Command.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12148489/Chinese-spies-disguised-tourists-infiltrated-multiple-military-bases-Alaska.html
No comments:
Post a Comment