Suspected Chinese spies disguised as tourists have repeatedly attempted to enter US military bases in Alaska in recent years, service members say.

The Chinese citizens have been apprehended trying to gain entry at bases like Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, where soldiers on one occasion searched a vehicle that had blown past a checkpoint and found a drone, according totroopswho spoke with USA Today.

Many of the foreign nationals claimed to have gotten lost while driving around and taking in the sights of the Last Frontier, where the US houses sensitive military capabilities at the nation’s closest point to adversaries Russia, North Korea and China.

“We take the safety and security of our people in our installations very seriously,” Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said recently when asked about China’s spying during a recent visit to the state.

Suspected Chinese spies who were disguised as tourists have attempted to enter US military bases in Alaska in recent years. ROBYN BECK

Many of the foreign nationals claim to have gotten lost while driving around and taking in the sights in Alaska, such as the northern lights. AP

“We always live with the possibility of intrusion on our installations, and so we work very hard to make sure, working alongside state and local authorities and others, that those bases and installations are protected from threats,” she added. “We take a lot of measures to do that. And we’re going to make sure we can continue to protect our installation so our folks can perform their missions.”

The news comes at a time of heightened tension between the Pacific powers, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s aggression toward Taiwan and ambitions in the South China Sea have chilled relations.

Retired Air Force Gen. David Deptula told USA Today that incursions by the alleged spies could lead to American military communications being monitored via sensors left concealed at the bases, which include Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage and Eielson Air Force Base outside of Fairbanks.

In February, a Chinese spy balloon also traversed the US and gathered intelligence from several military sites after having first entered airspace over Alaska. PATRICK T. FALLON

In February, a Chinese spy balloon also traversed the US and gathered intelligence from several military sites after having first entered American airspace over Alaska.

F-22 and F-35 fighter jets are kept in the state, as are 12,000 soldiers and 10,000 active-duty Air Force personnel, along with radar and missile defense systems to respond to nuclear attacks.

Thousands more troops and planes from the United Kingdom and Australia have participated in annual joint war games to prepare for potential conflict with Russia or China.

“We take the safety and security of our people in our installations very seriously,” Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said recently when asked about China’s spying. AP

Iris Ferguson, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Arctic and Global Resiliences at the Pentagon, said in September that officials in Beijing have “been trying to insert themselves into the Arctic.”

“So, we’re being very mindful about their activity and in wanting to ensure that our interests are protected in the region,” she told the Pentagon’s internal news agency.

On Friday, Sen. Dan Sulivan (R-Alaska) called the report “another wake-up call that we are in a new era of authoritarian aggression led by dictators in China and Russia. It’s also another example of just how important Alaska is for America’s national defense.”

FBI Director Christopher Wray has said that Chinese espionage efforts are increasingly common, with a case often being opened every 12 hours at the bureau. AP

FBI Director Christopher Wray has said that Chinese espionage efforts are increasingly common, with a case often being opened every 12 hours at the bureau.

“There is no doubt that the greatest long-term threat to our nation’s ideas, our economic security and our national security is that posed by the Chinese communist government,” he said in an April speech.