Chinese military ships, like the one seen here, were spotted near the Aleutian island chain (Photo: Itar-TASS)

Admiral Jonathan Greenert, Chief of US Naval Operations, said he doesn’t view the incident as unexpected or alarming. US defense officials said the Pentagon is continuing to monitor the movement of the ships.
At a regular State Department briefing in Washington on Thursday, spokesman Mark Toner said that this is the first time that Chinese navy ships have been seen in the Bering Sea and the US certainly respects the freedom of all nations to operate military vessels in international waters in accordance with international law.