The U.S. Army made a surprise show of force this week, deploying paratroopers, radars and a HIMARS system to the small island of Shemya in the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska in response to recent overflights of Russian and Chinese military aircraft near U.S. territory.

On September 12, troops from the 11th Airborne Division and the 1st and 3rd Multi-Domain Task Forces were rapidly deployed to Shemya Island by air support, including the 176th Wing of the Alaska National Guard. Troops quickly established the M142 HIMARS High Mobility Artillery Rocket System and Q-53 radars.

The operation was reportedly a response to a joint patrol by Russian and Chinese bombers in the Pacific Ocean in July this year. At that time, four Russian and Chinese aircraft crossed the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone, which forced the United States and Canada to scramble six fighter jets to intercept them, including American F-35s and F-16s, as well as Canadian CF-18s. The incident escalated the situation in the region and forced the Pentagon to take additional measures to strengthen its defense.