Alaska National Guard

Leadership

U.S. Army retired Staff Sgt. Orville Ahkinga, of Little Diomede, shares experiences from his combined 32 years of active duty and Alaska National Guard service during a state of Alaska Office of Veterans Affairs outreach event at the Aurora Inn in Nome, Alaska, July 9, 2022. The state of Alaska Office of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Rural Health work with rural community partners to assist eligible veterans with receiving their earned state and federal benefits. (Alaska National Guard photo by 1st Lt. Balinda O’Neal)

State, federal Veterans Affairs offices host outreach events for Gambell, Nome

By 1st Lt. Balinda O'Neal | July 12, 2022

Representatives from the federal and state offices of veterans affairs collaborated with community partners to provide outreach services for veterans in Gambell and Nome, July 8 and 9...

Intelligence Specialist 1st Class Kim Heidemann, a volunteer in the Alaska Naval Militia, walks the Alaska Army National Guard memorial park on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Heidemann joined the COVID-19 response effort on State Active Duty orders April 20, 2022. Heidemann was assigned to the Mass Care Team as part of Emergency Services for the state. Heidemann assisted in meetings discussing actionable items for rural communities and administrative duties. (Alaska National Guard photo by Victoria Granado)

Alaska Naval Militia: Forged by the Last Frontier

By Victoria Granado | July 8, 2022

The Alaska Naval Militia is one element within the AKOM and Sailors will often work alongside service members in the Alaska National Guard and the Alaska State Defense Force. For its part, the naval militia provides a...

The Alaska Heroism Medal is awarded to any member of the Alaska National Guard who distinguished themselves by heroism, exceptionally meritorious achievement, or exceptionally meritorious service beyond the call of duty. (Alaska National Guard photo by Victoria Granado)

AK State Office of Veterans Affairs to honor Army Guardsmen for 1955 rescue

By 1st Lt. Balinda O'Neal | June 30, 2022

On June 22, 1955, two Russian MiG 15’s from Siberia shot down a U.S. Navy plane flying a routine maritime patrol over the Bering Sea. It crash-landed on an ice shelf prompting fourteen Guardsmen from the First Scout Battalion...

National Park Service pilot Andy Hermansky peers out the bubble window on Denali National Park’s A-Star B3e helicopter at the terrain below sometime in 2019. (National Park Service photo by Emily Mesner)

Arctic Guardians assist National Park Service rescue of injured climber on Denali

By David Bedard | June 27, 2022

Arctic Guardians assist National Park Service rescue of injured climber on Denali...

Members of the Alaska State Defense Force assist the Red Cross and Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation in providing essential services to approximately 50 people in the Alaska National Guard armory in Bethel, Alaska, June 18. People from Mt. Village, Pilot Station, Pitkas Point and St. Mary's were relocated to the armory in Bethel as a precaution against wildfires and potential smoke inhalation. (Alaska National Guard Courtesy Photo)

Alaska State Defense Force assists Red Cross, state agencies in sheltering relocated citizens from wildfires in Southwest Alaska

By Victoria Granado | June 24, 2022

As tundra wildfires in Southwest Alaska burned closer to the villages, approximately 50 people from Mountain Village, Pilot Station, Pitkas Point and St. Mary’s were relocated to the Alaska National Guard armory in Bethel as...

Spc. Nicholas Weber, a cyber operations specialist representing the Illinois National Guard, participates in Cyber Shield 2022 at Camp Robinson in North Little Rock, Arkansas June 10, 2022. Cyber Shield 2022 is the Department of Defense's largest unclassified inter-agency and joint national level training cyber defense exercise which includes representation from 20 states plus Guam. (U.S. Army photo by Illinois National Guard Sgt. Trenton Fouche)

Alaska National Guard participates in Cyber Shield 2022, the DoD's largest unclassified cyber defense exercise

By Courtesy Story | June 23, 2022

Approximately 15 Alaska Air National Guard cyber and computer security specialists honed their skills June 5-17 as part of Cyber Shield 2022, the Department of Defense’s largest unclassified cyber defense exercise involving...

State, federal Veterans Affairs offices host outreach events for Gambell, Nome

Alaska Naval Militia: Forged by the Last Frontier

Alaska Air National Guard Senior Master Sgt. Corbett Ercolani, an HH-60G Pave Hawk special missions aviator with 210th Rescue Squadron, 176th Wing, awaits taxi before flight from Eielson Air Force Base to Clear Air Force Station, Alaska, in support of Director, Air National Guard, Lt. Gen. L. Scott Rice's visit, August 27, 2019. SMAs replaced HH-60 flight engineers and aerial gunners and are the sole enlisted crew of the helicopter. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Adam Keele)

Pave Hawk special missions aviator hones marksmanship skills to razor's edge

From the right, Pvt. Michael Mondrell, Alaska State Defense Force and Seaman Apprentice Mary Lim, Alaska Naval Militia, greet motorists as they cross they travel the Lowell Point Road, May 27, 2022 in Seward. The May 7 Bear Mountain landslide blocked the road and access to and from the community of Lowell Point for 20 days. An Alaska Organized Militia Task Force was activated following a request from the State Emergency Operations Center for support to aide with traffic controls and other duties assigned by the incident commander. (Alaska National Guard photo by 1st Lt. Balinda O’Neal)

Volunteer team assists Seward community following major landslide

Air National Guard Brig. Gen. Anthony Stratton, Alaska Air National Guard commander, shot his M4 carbine rifle during the Commander's Cup portion of the 2022 Adjutant General's Match held at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, on June 4, 2022. The Commander's Cup concludes the week-long match and is a competition between the Army National Guard and Air National Guard commanders to score the most marksmanship points. (Alaska National Guard photo by Sgt. Royale Spann, 134th Public Affairs Detachment)

AK Guardsmen compete for spot on Governor's Twenty markmanship team in annual Adjutant General's Match

The Alaska Air National Guard, 168th Wing, generates combat readiness training as the lead tanker task force refueling Red Flag-Alaska 22-1, providing combat interoperability opportunities to approximately 2,200 service members from three nations, maintaining and supporting more than 90 aircraft and over 25 units. Airmen of the 168th Wing provide critical support to allies through on-time rapid in-flight refueling allowing RF-A participants to train for full spectrum engagements. RF-A is a Pacific Air Forces-directed training exercise allowing forces unique opportunities to integrate into joint and multilateral training. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Julie Avey)

168th Wing refuels Red Flag

A Soldier crosses a Slide-for-Life obstacle during the Best Warrior Competition on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, May 11, 2022. The six-day competition tests Soldiers’ mental and physical agility and toughness through a series of battle-focused events that measure technical and tactical proficiency. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Victoria Granado)

Alaska Army National Guardsmen compete in Best Warrior 2022

Maj. Gen. Torrence Saxe, adjutant general of the Alaska National Guard, presents the Governor’s Trophy to Golf Company, Detachment 2, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion in an award ceremony held at Bryant Army Airfield, Alaska, April 29, 2022.

AK army aviation unit earns coveted Governor's trophy for first time

Alaska National Guardsmen Sgt. 1st Class Oliver Meza (second from left), noncommissioned officer in charge of Drug Demand Reduction, trains guardsmen and police officers in the use of naloxone kits provided through Project HOPE in Wasilla, Alaska, April 13, 2022. The Alaska National Guard collaborates with the Office of Substance Misuse and Addiction Prevention in Project HOPE, a state-run initiative aimed at providing opioid overdose rescue kits and training mission partners and law enforcement agencies. (Alaska National Guard photo by Victoria Granado)

AKNG's Counterdrug, State of Alaska distribute naloxone rescue kits

Pvt. Stanley Radeski, Alaska State Defense Force, surveys the outskirts of Nome for a domain awareness exercise, Mar. 1. Alaska Exercise Arctic Eagle-Patriot 2022 increases the National Guard’s capacity to operate in austere, extreme cold-weather environments across Alaska and the Arctic region. AEP22 enhances the ability of military and civilian inter-agency partners to respond to a variety of emergency and homeland security missions across Alaska and the Arctic. (Alaska National Guard photo by Victoria Granado)

Alaska State Defense Force: A tradition of homeland protection

Video by Senior Master Sgt. Julie Avey

168th Wing KC-135 Crew Chief Send off to Red Flag Alaska

168th Wing Public Affairs

May 10, 2022 | 0:32

Master Sgt. Billy Mallula, Dedicated Crew Chief of the 168th Wing, sends off a 168th Wing KC-135 Stratotanker to refuel NATO allies, sister services, and partners in blue during Red Flag-Alaska, May 10, 2022. Red Flag-Alaska exercises provide opportunities to integrate various forces in a realistic threat environment. The 168th Wing Alaska Airmen refuel and maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific improving combat readiness. (U.S. Air National Guard video by Senior Master Sgt. Julie Avey)