WASHINGTON, January 19. /TASS/. The United States military is monitoring a Russian ship currently sailing off Hawaii, which they believe may be gathering intelligence data in the region, Pentagon Deputy Spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters on Thursday.

"I would say that the Coast Guard is still is monitoring this Russian vessel that, we believe, is an intelligence gathering vessel but is operating in international open waters," she said.

The spokesperson went on to say she "can't speak to why the Russians are sailing the ship right now," but added that the Department of Defense "haven't seen any unsafe or unprofessional behavior" on the part of that ship.

The Hawaii Archipelago is home to several bases of the US Navy and the US Air Force.