US Officials: Chinese Citizens Pose As Tourists, Attempt To Access Alaskan Military Bases

Alaska is home to 9 US military bases in total and at the forefront of the Arctic military race with Russia.

ALASKA - Chinese citizens have attempted to access United States military facilities in Alaska pretending to be tourists, but are suspected by U.S. officials as being spies, according to a report by USA Today.

The report cited US officials, who spoke to the news agency about various encounters that they’ve had with Chinese citizens that they believe were posing as tourists in order to gain access to military facilities but weren’t Alaskan tourists at all.

Although many of the encounters looked to be actual tourists to Alaska, wishing to view the northern lights, or other tourist attractions in Alaska, some of the encounters threw up red flags for military officials.

One incident involved a vehicle occupied by Chinese citizens that failed to stop at a security checkpoint at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, Alaska.

The vehicle blew right past the checkpoint but was then stopped and checked. Inside the vehicle were Chinese citizens who claimed to be lost tourists., and a drone that could be used to collect sensitive information about the military facilities.

The report cited multiple soldiers, who it says were not authorized to speak publicly on the issue, as saying that other attempts to enter United States military bases “seem to be” probing the military facilities in the region in order to “learn about U.S. military capabilities in Alaska”.

Reasons China Might Want To Spy On Military Installations In Alaska

One of the reasons China might want to spy on military installations located within Alaska is that the state hosts three large military bases and other smaller bases. The state is home to 9 US military bases in total.

Some of the larger US military bases located within Alaska include:

• Eielson Air Force Base [Fairbanks, AK]

• Fort Richardson [Anchorage, AK]

• Elmendorf AFB [Anchorage, AK]

• Fort Wainwright [Fairbanks, AK]

Other Military Bases In Alaska Include:

• Clear Space Force Station [Anderson, AK]

• Fort Greely Army Base [Fairbanks, AK]

• Coast Guard Base Kodiak [Kodiak Island, AK]

• Coast Guard Station Juneau [Juneau, AK]

• MSU Valdez Coast Guard Base [Valdez, AK]

Alaska is also at the forefront of the Arctic military race with Russia. In December, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told CNN that there is a “significant Russian military build-up in the high north,” with northern tensions driving the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to "double its presence" in the region.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has reported that Russian activity in the North American Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) around Alaska occurs “regularly” with on average six or seven interceptions of Russian aircraft per year.

“This Russian activity in the North American ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat. NORAD tracks and positively identifies all military aircraft that enter the ADIZ, routinely monitor aircraft movements, and as necessary, escorts them from the ADIZ,” Norad reported in May after six Russian aircraft were intercepted.

NORAD added that “Since Russia resumed out of area Long Range Aviation activity in 2007, NORAD has seen a yearly average of approximately six to seven intercepts of Russian military aircraft in the ADIZ”.

The statement also said, “These numbers have varied each year from as high as 15 to as low as zero. NORAD employs a layered defense network of satellites, ground-based radars, airborne radar, and fighter aircraft to track and identify aircraft and inform appropriate actions”. 

“We remain ready to employ a  number of response options in defense of North America and Arctic sovereignty.”

NORAD: Ability To Operate In Arctic Critical To Defending Homelands

During January’s “Noble Defender” military exercises in the Arctic and Canadian and U.S. Coasts, a statement by NORAD said: “The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) conducted Operation NOBLE DEFENDER – a dynamic force employment operation – across multiple locations in the Arctic, and the coasts of  Canada and the United States, between Jan. 15-31, 2023”.

“This Operation NOBLE DEFENDER demonstrated NORAD’s capability and readiness to defend Canada and the United States in the challenging  Arctic environment,” it said.

General Glen VanHerck, Commander, of North  American Aerospace Defense Command and US Northern Command said, “Our ability to operate in the Arctic is critical to our ability to defend our homelands”.

He added, “Operation  NOBLE DEFENDER successfully demonstrated our willingness and capability to conduct operations above the Arctic Circle in even the harshest weather conditions and proved a concept of integration with key Arctic partners to defend northern approaches to North America”.