NORAD Russian activity in the Arctic is increasingly complex, the head of US Northern Command said. Gen. Glen VanHerck said his command is looking "to use strategic messaging to create a deterrence effect." Russian military activity around Alaska is increasing and getting more complex, the top US commander in the region said Wednesday. The Arctic, especially around Alaska, has become a venue for competition amid heightened tensions between the US and Russia. One of Moscow's most visible gestures has been military flights into the Alaskan air-defense identification zone, or ADIZ. Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck, who leads US Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, told senators in March that that US and Canada responded to more of those flights in 2020 than in any year since the Cold War.