An Arctic squeeze is intensifying as Russia and China expand military activity near Alaska, prompting new warnings from Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) that America’s northern defenses face growing pressure. New data show a sharp rise in foreign military incursions into the U.S. Air Defense Identification Zone, raising concerns as President Donald Trump sharpens focus on Greenland and Arctic security.
Sullivan said Russian and Chinese forces have dramatically increased coordinated operations near Alaska, exposing weaknesses in U.S. Arctic readiness. Since 2019, more than 100 Russian aircraft, four Chinese vessels, and over a dozen joint operations have entered the ADIZ, a security buffer beyond U.S. sovereign airspace. “Let’s just say the world’s largest fleet of oceanographic survey ships wasn’t off the coast of Alaska to ‘save the whales,’” Sullivan told Fox News Digital.
The Arctic squeeze comes as melting ice opens new shipping lanes, energy access points, and military routes. Sullivan said these developments have turned Alaska into a strategic front line. He pointed to President Donald Trump’s tensions with Denmark over Greenland as a reflection of that reality, noting the region’s growing importance to national defense.
The senator is urging Congress to accelerate icebreaker construction and reopen Cold War–era bases. The U.S. currently has two icebreakers, one out of service, while Russia operates 54, which Sullivan described as “nuclear-powered and weaponized.” He confirmed funding for new Coast Guard cutters, a rebuilt base at Adak, and a deepwater port in Nome.
Sullivan cited Vladimir Lenin’s maxim about probing an enemy, warning that weakness invites aggression. “The only thing authoritarian regimes that are our adversaries understand is power,” he said.
With joint Sino-Russian activity rising, the Arctic squeeze is no longer theoretical. Lawmakers now face decisions that will shape whether the U.S. can deter expanding threats at its northern edge.
