The United States Coast Guard warned recently of increased activity from Chinese research vessels in the U.S. Arctic. The Coast Guard detected and responded to two of the vessels operating in the U.S. Arctic and was monitoring an additional three such vessels in or near those waters, an August 8, 2025, news release said.
On August 5, a C-130J Super Hercules military transport aircraft from Air Station Kodiak responded to Chinese research vessels Ji Di and the Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di, which were traveling northeast in the Bering Sea. On August 6, crew members aboard the Coast Guard cutter Waesche again responded to the Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di as it moved north in the Chukchi Sea after passing through the Bering Strait.
The Coast Guard released a photo of the Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di taken from the transport aircraft. The C-130J and the Waesche “were patrolling under Operation Frontier Sentinel, an operation that responds to adversaries operating in and around Alaskan and U.S. Arctic waters,” the news release said.
In July, a C-130J was deployed from Air Station Kodiak to investigate the Xue Long 2, another Chinese research vessel, about 290 nautical miles north of Utqiagvik, Alaska. The vessels are “consistent with a three-year trend of increased activity from Chinese research vessels operating in the U.S. Arctic. Last year, three Chinese research vessels conducted research operations north of the Bering Strait.”
The U.S. and its allies and partners have growing concerns about these vessels and their true goals. A January 2024 article written for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, an American think tank, said: “To survey the Earth’s oceans, China has developed the world’s largest fleet of civilian research vessels. While these ships support scientific and commercial objectives, they are also being used to advance Beijing’s strategic ambitions.”
“China’s dual-use approach to oceanographic research raises questions about the nature of these activities. Many vessels that undertake missions for peaceful purposes are also capable of providing the PLA [People’s Liberation Army] with critical data about the world’s oceans.”
The Coast Guard is the only U.S. surface presence in the Arctic, which has become a strategic global zone. On July 4, President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which, among other things, provides Coast Guard funding for an estimated 17 new icebreakers, 21 new cutters, over 40 helicopters and six C-130J aircraft while updating shore infrastructure and maritime surveillance systems. On August 10, the Coast Guard commissioned the cutter Storis, the newest icebreaker in the fleet, at a ceremony in Juneau, Alaska.
In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on February 13, 2025, Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, said: “In 2024, Russian and PRC [People’s Republic of China] aircraft and surface vessels conducted joint patrols in the Bering Sea, while the PRC repeatedly deployed dual-purpose vessels into the Arctic as part of a longstanding effort to expand the ability of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) to conduct multi-domain operations in the High North.
“Arctic responsibilities are shared across multiple geographic and functional combatant commands, and as competition in the region increases, safeguarding Arctic access and freedom of maneuver will depend on Joint Force Arctic operational capabilities and build on the already strong ties between Arctic partners. USNORTHCOM places enormous value on the ability to conduct operations and exercises in the High North and to execute assigned missions in coordination with fellow combatant commands.”