News

Beloved, longest serving AKNG command senior enlisted leader Small hands reigns to Phlegar, celebrates retirement
December 9, 2025 — Alaska National Guard Soldiers, Airmen, leaders, families, and community members gathered to witness a time-honored military tradition as Command Sgt. Maj. Julie Small transferred responsibility of the AKNG command senior enlisted leader position to Command Sgt. Maj. John Phlegar and celebrated her retirement following 31 years of service during a dual ceremony at the JBER Arctic Warrior Events Center Dec. 5... MORE

‘Someone real’: AKNG’s Matthew Komatsu’s path through fire and ice leads first CRO in Alaska Guard history to promote to general
December 8, 2025 — Long before he became the first Alaska National Guard combat rescue officer (CRO) in history to pin on a general star, Brig. Gen. Matthew Komatsu was a kid in the Midwest, mesmerized by Top Gun and dreaming of fighter jets. “I was eight or nine when I saw the greatest recruiting propaganda in the nation’s history,” he said with a laugh. “I wanted to be a fighter pilot like Maverick.” The dream carried him all the way to the U.S. Air Force Academy, but once there, reality arrived quickly. He struggled to fit in, chafing at the rigid environment. “I realized pretty early I was a nonconformist, and it’s not a place that encourages that,” he said. “Those first four years, you’re becoming an adult and figuring things out. I barely hung on.”... MORE

AKOM logistics experts key to Typhoon Halong response
November 26, 2025 — The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Region of Alaska is approximately the size of the state of Louisiana. Despite its size and population of about 25,000 residents scattered across 48 communities, there isn’t a paved network of highways connecting outlying villages to the hub city of Bethel, so logistics can be complex and require much planning. Bethel, located near the Kuskokwim River about 60 miles downriver from the seacoast, is home to the Alaska Army National Guard Readiness Center and its adjoining helicopter hangar, both critical logistical hubs for the Alaska Organized Militia’s ongoing response to the devastating impact of Typhoon Halong on the region... MORE

Alaska National Guard named top performer in sexual assault prevention efforts
November 24, 2025 — At a time when sexual assault prevention remains a national priority across the U.S. military, the Alaska National Guard’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program has been recognized as one of the strongest programs in the country following a recent National Guard Bureau review... MORE

Alaska Naval Militia sailor provides crucial aviation coordination for Operation Halong Response
November 20, 2025 — Bethel is 56 miles from the mouth of the Kuskokwim River and the adjoining salt water of the Kuskokwim Bay and the Bering Sea. The Western Alaska hub city is 1,136 miles from the small but crucial Southeast Alaska Acoustic Measurement Facility at Ketchikan and is 1,762 miles from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, the closest major Navy installation... MORE

AKOM’s communication team launches critical connectivity during disaster
November 17, 2025 — Following severe storms that struck Western Alaska earlier this month, members of the Alaska Organized Militia’s Communications and Information Systems Directorate, known as J6, deployed new handheld satellite tracking devices called SHOUT Nanos to maintain critical communication links with response teams operating in isolated communities... MORE

Alaska Organized Militia continues recovery support across Western Alaska
November 4, 2025 — Members of the Alaska Organized Militia continue to assist communities across Western Alaska following the devastating storms that struck the region in early October. Since activation, more than 150 Alaska Organized Militia service members have supported 13 communities through debris removal, infrastructure repair, residential assessments, and evacuation support in coordination with the State Emergency Operations Center and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. ... MORE

Alaska Organized Milita delivers food to isolated Nunapitchuk school
October 31, 2025 — BETHEL, Alaska — Alaska Organized Milita (AKOM) members delivered six pallets of food to a school in Nunapitchuk, a village about 25 miles northwest of Bethel on the Kuskokwim River, via an Alaska Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter Oct. 28... MORE

Snowfall tests AKOM crews, but mission to aid Alaskans presses on
October 23, 2025 — Snow moved into western Alaska early Oct. 22, 2025, bringing new challenges to Alaska Organized Militia (AKOM) response operations. Despite the conditions, AKOM crews remain steadfast in their mission to assist fellow Alaskans. ... MORE

Alaska Organized Militia races against winter in Western Alaska
October 22, 2025 — It is a race against time as winter closes in on communities impacted by Western Alaska Storm 2025. Alaska Organized Militia (AKOM) members were rapidly deployed as soon as conditions allowed to support rescue efforts, assess damage, and begin early recovery operations... MORE