Thread by @ianellisjones

Current situation:

- 4 Chinese warships crossed into the U.S. EEZ near Alaska
- PLA & Russian Navies conducting joint drills in WESTPAC
- Record-breaking military activity around Taiwan
- Surging ships into the South China Sea
- Shandong carrier group underway

A lot going on 🧵

USCG: The crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball (WMSL 756) detected 3 Chinese vessels ~124 miles north of the Amchitka Pass in the Aleutian Islands, & an HC-130J aircrew from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak detected an additional vessel ~84 miles north of the Amukta Pass.

All four of the People’s Republic of China vessels were transiting in international waters but still inside the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, which extends 200 nautical miles from the U.S. shoreline.

The USCG did not confirm the composition of the Chinese surface action group, but it’s likely made up of ships I included below from Eastern Theater Command.

Note: In September 2021 & 2022, USCG cutters deployed in the Bering Sea also encountered PLA Navy surface action groups.

https://twitter.com/ianellisjones/status/1810343223140954134

“The Chinese naval presence operated in accordance with international rules and norms,” said Rear Adm. Megan Dean, Seventeenth Coast Guard District commander. “We met presence with presence to ensure there were no disruptions to U.S. interests in the maritime environment around Alaska.”

The Chinese vessels responded to U.S. Coast Guard radio communication and their stated purpose was “freedom of navigation operations.”

Yesterday, China sent 56 PLA aircraft into Taiwan’s air defense zone (ADIZ) — the most ever tracked by the MND in a single day.

https://twitter.com/ianellisjones/status/1811213095928234096

USNI: The Russian Navy and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy began their annual joint patrol on Thursday with Japan’s Joint Staff Office (JSO) reporting the combined flotilla is now in the Pacific Ocean after transiting Japan’s Osumi Strait from Thursday to Friday.

Corvette RFS Sovershenny (333) rendezvoused with PLAN destroyer CNS Yinchuan (175), frigate CNS Hengshui (572) and fleet oiler CNS Weishanhu (887) in the Korea Strait near Jeju Island to begin the fourth joint Russian-Chinese maritime patrol in the Asia-Pacific region, reads a Thursday statement from the Russian Pacific Fleet.

“The objectives of the joint patrol are to strengthen naval cooperation between Russia and China, maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, monitor the maritime area and protect maritime economic facilities of the Russian Federation and China.” reads the release. The Russians did not specify where the group would operate.

The PLA Navy Shandong carrier strike group has been operating in the Western Pacific since 9 July. The first WESTPAC deployment of 2024 coincides with the recent surge of military activity around Taiwan & in the South China Sea.

https://twitter.com/ianellisjones/status/1810712454596346093

All four PLAN Type 055 destroyers/cruisers — China’s premier surface combatant — assigned to Southern Theater Command were recently deployed in the South China Sea.

The three PLAN Type 075 LHDs — their largest & most advanced amphibious warship — are underway in the SCS + ECS.

https://twitter.com/ianellisjones/status/1801426023600345418

Yesterday, two Russian Steregushchiy-class Corvettes sailed southwest in the waters between Yonaguni Island (Okinawa Pref) & Iriomote Island — near Taiwan — & entered the Western Pacific.

Taiwan said on Thursday that it was closely watching the Chinese military, which it said posed a rising threat to the region, after a flurry of warplanes passed near the island to join drills with China’s Shandong aircraft carrier in the Pacific. (Reuters)

The Shandong passed close to the Philippines on its way to the Pacific exercises, Taiwan’s defence minister said.

“The military has a detailed grasp of the activities in the seas and waters around the Taiwan Strait, including of the Chinese aircraft and ships,” ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang said.

Speaking to military officers in Taipei, President Lai Ching-te said he will continue to strengthen the island’s defenses.

“The Chinese threat to regional stability continues to rise, and its grey zone intrusions into the Taiwan Strait and surrounding areas are also increasing day by day, which are a common challenge to global democracy.”

A curious alert just posted by Taiwan’s defense ministry:

https://twitter.com/MoNDefense/status/1811971471474065435