(NewsNation) — A Russian military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) was detected and tracked by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) on Tuesday, according to a press release.

While the Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace, NORAD monitored the aircraft’s movements.

ADIZ begins where sovereign airspace ends and is defined as the stretch of airspace that allows North American defense to ready for potential threats.

In the interest of national security, NORAD is required to identify, track and control aircraft movement within the ADIZ airspace.

“This Russian activity in the Alaska ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat,” the press release said.

However, NORAD said it remains ready to employ defensive options to protect North America.

National security remains one of the top priorities for the U.S. government, especially following the discovery of Chinese spy balloons over U.S. territory earlier this year.