News

AKARNG Black Hawk crew executes novel train touchdown, supports advanced MEDEVAC capabilities in SOFAM 25’
February 27, 2025 — During the culminating training event of exercise Special Operation Forces Arctic Medic 2025, Alaska Army National Guard aviators assigned to Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 211th General Support Aviation Battalion landed a HH-60M Black Hawk helicopter on the platform of an Alaska rail car that was staged on a bridge above the Chena River, in the vicinity of Fairbanks, Alaska, Feb 20, 2025... MORE

Alaska Army National Guard flight surgeon creates innovative casualty care system for the arctic warfighter
February 27, 2025 — Historically, battles are won by the side that carries momentum throughout the fight. Taking casualties can stop that momentum in its tracks. In Alaska, those tracks are complicated by extreme cold, ice and snow, making casualty care in arctic environments a challenge in the heat of combat. Alaska Army National Guard Maj. Titus Rund, a flight surgeon assigned to the 207th Aviation Troop Command, spent the last several years addressing some of those challenges facing the arctic warfighter. ... MORE

‘Cathedrals of the mind’
February 19, 2025 — “I wasn’t going to leave that fight unless it was in a body bag.” Alaska Army National Guard Lt. Col. Luke Bushatz, 297th Regional Support Group operations officer and former 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment commander, made the stone-faced declaration while recollecting the aftermath of surviving a roadside bomb that eviscerated his Stryker in Afghanistan’s Arghandab Valley in 2009. He was serving as an infantry rifle company executive officer determined to continue in the billet despite sustaining debilitating brain trauma during the attack... MORE

Alaska Army National Guard Lt. Col. Luke Bushatz, right, outgoing commander for the 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment, was rewarded the Meritorious Service Medal by Col. Michele Edwards, the commander of the 297th Regional Support Group, Oct. 20, 2024, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. Bushatz was recognized for his commitment to improving his battalion’s readiness in the two years he served as commander

Rescue of 2 plane crash victims in Yukon Territory kicks off 176th Wing’s busy rescue week
February 7, 2025 — The Alaska Air National Guard’s 176th Wing rescued eight individuals during four rescue missions in Alaska and Yukon Territory between Jan. 26 and Jan. 31... MORE

AKARNG 297th RSG to deploy to Eastern Europe in support of NATO allies, expeditionary base operations
January 27, 2025 — The Alaska Army National Guard’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 297th Regional Support Group will deploy approximately 80 Guardsmen on a nine-month mission to Eastern Europe in support of the U.S. Army Europe and Africa’s Operation European Assure, Deter and Reinforce... MORE

Aviation distress signal draws rapid, multi-agency response at Merrill Field Airport
January 16, 2025 — The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center opened a mission in response to an emergency locator transmitter notification in the vicinity of the Municipality of Anchorage Merrill Field Airport, Jan. 11, 2025. Lt. Col. Brian Porter, the director of operations for the Civil Air Patrol’s Alaska Wing said that a significant number of ELT notifications are “non-distress,” often because of unintentional operation of the beacon and inadequate servicing. ... MORE

Civil Air Patrol Cadet Capt. Rick Benedict, a fifteen-year-old assigned to the Birchwood Composite Squadron, uses a receiver to measure signal strength to locate a distress beacon during a three-day training event Nov. 4, 2023, at the Birchwood Airport in Chugiak, Alaska.

Alaska National Guard strengthens cooperation with Alaskan Command
January 6, 2025 — Alaska Air National Guard general assumes duties as ALCOM deputy... MORE

From sleigh to Humvee: Operation Santa Claus 2024 wraps up in Yakutat
December 19, 2024 — Approximately 50 Alaska National Guard service members, volunteers from the Salvation Army, AKNG Child and Youth Program and others visited the southeastern Alaskan city of Yakutat, Dec. 18, 2024. Operation Santa Claus is an annual community outreach program aimed at delivering holiday cheer to rural Alaskan communities. ... MORE

Santa Claus rides inside an Alaska Army National Guard Humvee before meeting local children and community members during Operation Santa Claus in Yakutat, Alaska, Dec. 18, 2024.

176th Maintenance Squadron fields helicopter engine test stand
December 11, 2024 — 176th Maintenance Squadron fields helicopter engine test stand... MORE

Coast Guard, Alaska Air National Guard rescue pilot at Iliamna Lake
November 26, 2024 — Coast Guard, Alaska Air National Guard rescue pilot at Iliamna Lake... MORE