World news | US troops complete deployment on remote Alaskan island amid increased Russian military activity
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Sep 20 (AP) About 130 U.S. troops are returning to their bases after being deployed last week to a remote western Alaska island with mobile rocket launchers, a military official said Thursday.
The deployment to Shemya Island included the 11th Airborne Division and the 1st and 3rd Multi-Domain Task Forces, along with troops from Alaska, Washington and Hawaii, 11th Airborne spokesman Sgt. 1st Class Michael Sword said in an email to The Associated Press.
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The deployment came as eight Russian military aircraft and four naval vessels, including two submarines, arrived near Alaska as Russia and China conducted joint military exercises. None of the aircraft violated US airspace.
A Pentagon spokesman said earlier this week that there was no cause for concern.
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Major General Joseph Hilbert, commanding general of the 11th Airborne Division, told media that the deployment to the island, located 1,200 miles (1,931 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage, was timely.
The deployment took place on September 12. The North American Aerospace Defense Command said it detected and tracked Russian military aircraft flying near Alaska over a four-day period. There were two aircraft each on September 11, September 13, September 14 and September 15.
Sword said the exercise was a measure of the Army’s readiness to deploy troops and equipment.
“It’s a great opportunity to test ourselves in real-world conditions, and that’s another benefit of being stationed in a place like Alaska,” Sword said. (AP)
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