EYES IN THE SKY

CANADIAN AIRCRAFT KEEP A CLOSE WATCH ON CHINESE VESSELS AFTER SIGHTINGS NEAR ALASKA'S WATERS

- by RYAN CHAN

CANADA IS ACTIVELY MONITORING vessels and has been tracking five Chinese research ships operating around Alaska since early August.

The key United States ally in the Arctic and NATO is part of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, which provides maritime warnings for North America.

The Canadian Joint Operations Command, or CJOC, told Newsweek that it has deployed a CP-140 patrol aircraft around Alaska to monitor vessels and approaches. It was previously tracked flying out of Anchorage as the Xue Long 2, a Chinese icebreaker capable of conducting research, reached the Arctic Ocean. The long-range patrol aircraft-also known as Aurora-is capable of conducting maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare; strike coordination; and search and rescue, according to the Royal Canadian Air Force.