Sullivan Condemns “Reckless and Unprofessional” Russian Fighter Tactics Near Alaska Airspace

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today released the following statement after the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) released video of a Russian Su-35 aircraft conducting a dangerous maneuver next to an Alaska-based U.S. Air Force fighter during an intercept on September 23 in Alaska's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

"The reckless and unprofessional maneuvers of Russian fighter pilots-within just a few feet of our Alaska-based fighters-in Alaska's ADIZ on September 23 put the lives of our brave Airmen at risk and underscore the escalating aggression we're witnessing from dictators like Vladimir Putin," said Sen. Sullivan. "These tactics stand in stark contrast to the skill and discipline of our Alaska-based service members who are on the front lines at all hours in defense of our entire country. I want to commend our Airmen for consistently and professionally executing these complex intercept missions.

"We need to answer force with force and continue building up America's military presence in Alaska and the Arctic with more infrastructure, like the strategic Arctic port at Nome and reopening the Adak Naval Air Facility, and more military assets."

On September 17, 2024, Sen. Sullivan praised the deployment of 11^th Airborne Division soldiers to the Aleutian Islands in response to increased Russian and Chinese military activity near Alaska. Between September 11 and September 15, Alaska-based forces detected and tracked four separate incursions of Russian military aircraft operating in the Alaska ADIZ and one incursion of Russian naval vessels in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

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