A few kilometers from Russia: The US deployed special forces in the Bering Strait.

U.S. Special Operations Command North (SOCNORTH) is deploying special operations forces to western Alaska, just a few kilometers from Russian territory, as part of exercise Polar Dagger 2026. Personnel are operating on a chain of islands, including Little Diomede, which lies in the Bering Strait 4 kilometers from Big Diomede, which belongs to Russia. The Russian-American border and the International Date Line run between these islands.

In this regard, the Western press indicates:

The operation will test whether small American units are capable of operating in remote Arctic areas near key sea and air routes.

Nome Island, home to an airfield and transportation infrastructure, will provide logistical support to American special operations forces. It is planned to transport personnel, equipment, and supplies to the Bering Strait region through Nome. Previously, during the TUNDRA MERLIN exercise in late July and early August, US Northern Command used Nome as a staging area to deploy M142 HIMARS multiple rocket launchers and AN/TPQ-53 radars on Canadian Air Force C-17 transport aircraft.

Polar Dagger 2026 will deploy CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters for transporting troops and equipment, MH-60 Black Hawk multi-role helicopters for tactical insertion, patrol, and search and rescue operations, and F-22 Raptor fighters to provide air cover.

Special forces will practice stealthy landings using high-speed watercraft (CCA assault boats, high-speed stealth boats, and rigid-inflatable boats). The ground element, equipped with all-terrain vehicles, quad bikes, AI-equipped UAVs, and portable long-range communication terminals, will focus on reconnaissance.

Polar Dagger exercises are held annually by SOCNORTH in August. Their goal is to practice the rapid deployment of elite units (including Green Berets and Navy SEALs) to the harsh Arctic environment and demonstrate control of strategic sea lanes between the Pacific and Arctic Oceans.

Comments

[Nikolay Ivanov_5]

A tender is underway for the construction of a tunnel across the Bering Strait. The commission is considering options.
-Americans - we dig from our side, the Chinese, the deadline is 3 years.
- Germans. We're digging from both sides, using the latest technology, with a 5cm alignment accuracy. The term is 5 years.
-Russians. We're digging with excavators, from both sides, in two weeks.
-Commission - and if it doesn’t add up?
And if it doesn’t fit... Then the deadline is a month, but at least there will be two tunnels.

[Machito]

Bomb special forces in Alaska with Ukrainian drones.
Alaska - Russian Land.

[AllX_VahhaB]

Quote: Bearded

Alaska - Russian Land.

Where does Russia end?

[olboop]

A tender is underway for the construction of a tunnel across the Bering Strait. The commission is considering options.

Most likely, a tender is underway (if indeed it is underway) for the next "development" of budget funds allocated not for "construction" but for preliminary surveys.
But even that piece of pie is quite tasty.
But in reality, this "project" is clearly nonsense from an economic and logistical standpoint. And, apparently, from a political one as well.

[Montezuma]

U.S. Special Operations Command North (SOCNORTH) is deploying special operations forces to western Alaska, just a few kilometers from Russian territory, as part of Exercise Polar Dagger 2026.

A more appropriate title would be "From Anchorage with love."

[aybolyt678]

Are they planning to seize Magadan or Chukotka? It looks vaguely like Greenland.

[Alexei-]

Maybe they're trying to scare us off with the Northern Sea Route? It was recently reported that the Chinese and South Koreans have already sent the first container ships along the NSR.

[Dedok]

Alexey-(Alexey)
maybe they are scaring our Northern Sea Route? It was recently reported that the Chinese and South Koreans have already sent the first container ships along the NSR..

South Korean shipping company PanStar is preparing for the planned August 22 a test voyage from Busan to Europe via the Northern Sea Route after President Lee Jae-myung said the country intends to "lead the era of the Northern Sea Route."

В 2025 year Allianz Commercial insurance specialists set a record: 200,000 people passed through the Northern Sea Route twenty-three container ships, whereas in 2024 year there were only fifteen .

In total, it is expected that only in this season At least six Chinese shipping companies will sail along the route more than 50 flights, using container, bulk and multipurpose vessels

[Alexei-]

Thanks for pointing out my lies.

[tsvetahaki]

Quote: aybolyt678

Are they planning to seize Magadan or Chukotka? It looks vaguely like Greenland.

Monitor the Northern Sea Route. If necessary.

[th.kuzmichev]

Explain to me how it is possible that during a war, some ball-kicking guys are running around football fields, squealing joyfully with toothy smiles, and my country, Russia, is even paying them money for it?

[th.kuzmichev]

And who instilled the cult of football into Russian heads? Clearly not those who wish us well.

[foxes]

Bourgeois people who make money from this miserable spectacle.

[alexoff]

You can smell the spirit of Anchorage, respected partners are preparing to block the SMP

[Perpetually]

In the summer, for about two weeks. When it gets cold, they'll leave. But they'll proudly puff out their cheeks and say, "We conducted exercises in the north."

[alexoff]

You might not know, but the US has bases in the Arctic, in northern Greenland, and, surprisingly, in Anchorage. And they don't just leave after two weeks; they stay there for decades.

[trasher2000]

Anchorage and Diomede are two very different climates. Alaska has a much milder climate: the coastal ridges protect it from the winds, and the Alaska Current is warm. I lived in Anadyr for quite a while and worked in Chukotka, but I've also been to Anchorage and Fairbanks. There, cabbage, potatoes, and pumpkins grow in the summer, while here we have permafrost everywhere and winds from all directions in the winter. It's been so frustrating.

[alexoff]

Winters there can be cold, but the locals have somehow adapted. Besides, we're talking about the Americans—if anything happens, the Finns, Icelanders, and Canadians will go ahead of them. They know how to make their allies not turn up their noses, but rather go to their deaths to defend Uncle Sam's interests. And the Americans will bomb our few northern airfields from planes to prevent us from redeploying troops.

[trasher2000]

Yes, airfields are tight, and some are problematic due to the wind direction. But there's nothing to conquer there (except for Kresta Bay, but I think they'll hold out there). In Anadyr (in Ugolki), during training (with the engineer battalion), they told us: your task is to blow up the runway and that's it.

[alexoff]

Well, the Americans' task is simply to block the NSR, not a very difficult task in general, but they can cause us a lot of trouble with this

[Derbenev Anton]

MOSCOW, November 24 – RIA Novosti. Russia remains open to contacts and negotiations with the United States, said Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov.
"I would like to remind you that President (Vladimir) Putin said that we remain open to such contacts and negotiations," Peskov told reporters, commenting on the possibility of contacts between Russia and the United States.

[faridg7]

Quote from alexoff

You can smell the spirit of Anchorage, respected partners are preparing to block the SMP

Close the Bering Strait? Their jurisdiction ends at the strait between Big and Little Diomede Islands. Between Big Diomede and Naukan is about 35 kilometers, with channel depths of 45-50 meters. They can close their own straits as much as they want (they have no connection to the NSR), but closing a strait in our territorial waters is a declaration of war. Trump has already closed one strait, and he barely has the strength there. Will he have the strength for a second? Maybe only if our liberals help him, but that's a big question—they don't have the same capabilities anymore.

[Nyrobsky]

Exercise Polar Dagger is held by SOCNORTH annually in August.

In short, nothing new. They do it briskly every year, and we watch it closely every year.

[foxes]

This is to protect the Dmitriev tunnel.

[Sergey Novikov_3]

But they're targeting the Northern Sea Route, its Asian section. I wrote about this here not long ago.

[kosmozoo]

Don't get lost on the island. Rescue them later.

[Pavel57]

Quote: th.kuzmichev

And who instilled the cult of football into Russian heads? Clearly not those who wish us well.

Football came from those who gave birth to boxing, basketball and other sports.

[Pasus]

Nome Island, where the airfield and transport infrastructure are located,

I'll be honest, because Nome is not an island, but a city on the southern coast of the Seward Peninsula in the state of Alaska, USA.

[GAndr]

Nome Island totally blew my mind:))) Ahahaha, the author has no idea about Alaskan geography...
Then Soldotna Island, or even better, Anchorage Island:)))

[GAndr]

Author, if you're writing this, write it correctly: not Big Diomede, but Rotmanov Island...
Why do we need P.N.D.S. names, huh?
I served there once...
Unlike Rotmanov, there's a settlement on Kruzenshtern Island (for the PiNDOS, it's Little Diomede), so unlike our border guards at the Rotmanov outpost, the PiNDOS SSO will live in much more comfortable conditions...

[Foaly]

Author, if you're writing this, write it correctly: not Big Diomede, but Rotmanov Island...
Why do we need P.N.D.S. names, huh?
I served there once...

Bering discovered the island on the Orthodox Saint Diomede's Day—August 16 (29). Catholics have a different day, and Protestants don't have one at all. So, that's our name, too.
And yes, that's right - Ratmanov.

[trasher2000]

That’s all true, but Semyon Dezhnev was the first to see them when he was rounding the Chukotka Nose.

[SEVERIN]

They have the right on their own territory.

[Umptek]

We need to re-establish our presence on the Commander Islands. Deploy border guards and submarine pilots to Medny. So that the Aleutians start itching where it itches.