US Coast Guard Monitors Chinese Icebreaker Near Alaska: A Non-Story?
The U.S. Coast Guard has responded to the presence of the Chinese icebreaker Xue Long 2 within the extended U.S. Continental Shelf (ECS) north of Alaska, dispatching a C-130J Hercules. The U.S. and Canadian forces are actively monitoring the vessel as it navigates near U.S. and Canadian waters. China’s Xue Long 2, along with two other research icebreakers and a fourth vessel, are en route to the Arctic, raising concerns about China’s activities in the region. While the U.S. Coast Guard’s Healy is conducting its annual Arctic deployment, studying sea ice, the service’s newest icebreaker, Storis, is slated for a commissioning ceremony in August, followed by its first Arctic patrol.
John Q. Hosedrinker