WASHINGTON—In an interview Thursday with Harris Faulkner on Fox News Channel, U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), highlighted the most recent Russian military incursion into Alaska’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). America’s adversaries have become increasingly aggressive in the Arctic and North Pacific, with Russia and China making over 40 air and naval incursions, some of them being joint operations, in Alaska’s ADIZ and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) since 2019.

“The Russians have been very aggressive,” said Sen. Sullivan. “Billy Mitchell, the father of the U.S. Air Force, called Alaska the most strategic place in the world. Well, our adversaries know that, which is why they’re testing us up there. We’ve even had joint Russian(-Chinese) naval task forces in our waters and joint Russian(-Chinese) strategic bomber task forces in our airspace, in our ADIZ, as we call it. Our professional military based in Alaska, they do a great job…This is why we’re going to build up more Alaska military. In the One Big Beautiful Bill, we got more infrastructure for Arctic military operations. But there’s a lot going on in my neck of the woods…If this were going on on the East Coast of America, the media would be doing stories on it every day.”

In the interview, Sen. Sullivan also touted the progress being made on the Golden Dome initiative, a modernized homeland missile defense system envisioned by President Trump. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed into law on July 4, provides a down payment of $25 billion for the Golden Dome. Senators Sullivan and Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) have introduced authorizing legislation to advance the initiative—The Ground and Orbital Launched Defeat of Emergent Nuclear Destruction and Other Missile Engagements (GOLDEN DOME) Act—much of which is incorporated into the SASC-passed FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), expected to come to the Senate floor later this year.

Sullivan: Our Adversaries Are Testing Us in Alaska Because They Know it’s the Most Strategic Place in the World

FAULKNER: Senator, first of all, just give us the lay of the land. Now, how close were they? This has happened I think north of five times now?

SULLIVAN: Oh, yeah. Harris, by the way, thank you so much for highlighting these incursions both into our airspace in Alaska and into our waters and into our oceans, or EEZ, as we call it. The Russians have been very aggressive. Billy Mitchell, the father of the U.S. Air Force, called Alaska the most strategic place in the world. Well, our adversaries know that, which is why they’re testing us up there. We’ve even had joint Russian(-Chinese) naval task forces in our waters and joint Russian(-Chinese) strategic bomber task forces in our airspace, in our ADIZ, as we call it. Our professional military based in Alaska, they do a great job. They go intercept the Russians and the Chinese every time they’re up there. By the way, these are not easy missions. These are tough missions. They do it professionally. They just did it last week, again. This is why we’re going to build up more Alaska military. In the One Big Beautiful Bill we got more infrastructure for Arctic military operations. But there’s a lot going on in my neck of the woods and I’m really glad you report on it. If this were going on on the East Coast of America, boy oh boy, the media would be doing stories on it every day. But you continue to highlight it, and I thank you for that.

Sullivan: We Are the Only Country in the World That Could Build the Golden Dome

FAULKNER: Senator, you and some of your colleagues introduced legislation earlier this summer to build a so-called “Golden Dome.” It authorizes more than $23 billion to begin developing a modernized, layered homeland missile defense system that can counter, detect, track and defeat existing and evolving threats. It is in line with President Trump’s vision…Where is this project right now?

SULLIVAN: I want to commend President Trump for his leadership and vision. He’s been talking about missile defense since his first term. He’s been leading on this. The Golden Dome vision is completely President Trump’s. We’re making great progress on it because we have some key things that you need for progress in DC. You have presidential leadership, which is what we have. We have significant funding. The One Big Beautiful Bill had a down payment of $25 billion to build out the Golden Dome. You have my legislation with Senator Cramer, which is authorizing legislation to put this initiative into law. I think a lot of that’s going to pass in the defense bill coming up soon. So those are key elements, and as the President said, we already have a strong defense system in terms of missile defense. By the way, it’s almost all based in Alaska—another reason why we’re so strategic. But we’re going to build on that. We’re going to make a layered system that includes, as the President said, space-based sensors, space-based interceptors, an open architecture, so we can integrate these different systems, and we’re off to the races on this. By the way, we’re the only country in the world that can do this. We have the technology. We have the ability with a great military, and now with presidential leadership. That’s why Russia and China are so scared of this. I think when they speak out against it, it shows that we’re on target.

FAULKNER: Well, that answered my next question. Why do they care so much? Because they can’t do it. Senator Sullivan, thank you very much for not just the update. I mean, this is happening on so much more of a regular basis. It is breaking news when our citizens are that close to an enemy.

# # #

  faulkner, golden-dome, interview, Russia, sullivan