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Proactive Posture and Partnership The formation of Joint Task Force-Alaska and its preparation to help tackle COVID-19
April 17, 2020 — President James Buchanan told 19th century Americans that “the test of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there.”More than a month has passed since President Donald Trump issued a national emergency declaration for the COVID-19 pandemic. Though Alaska remains a state with one of the... MORE

On Call and Always Ready: The Alaska Naval Militia
April 14, 2020 — On March 24, 1989, a man-made disaster shocked the 49th state.The Exxon Valdez oil tanker had run aground, spilling more than 10.8 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound. More than 1,300 miles of coastline were slicked with the greasy substance affecting all manner of wildlife.The ramifications would be felt for decades, but state... MORE

Sailors on State Active Duty Orders for the Alaska Naval Militia pose for a group photo in the National Guard Armory at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, April 14, 2020. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Victoria Granado/Released)

The 49th State’s defense force: key ally for AKNG in fight against COVID-19
April 13, 2020 — Alaska’s geography, land mass and weather create a unique challenge in combatting the state’s more common natural disasters like earthquakes, fires and floods. So how much more is that challenge accentuated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic?There simply aren’t enough law enforcement officials, firefighters or others employed in the field of domestic... MORE

Members of the Alaska State Defense Force and Alaska Army National Guard Soldiers set up tables to screen incoming travelers before coming into Alaska at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Apr. 6, 2020. "It's great to work alongside the folks at the ASDF," said Pfc. Connor Sheehan, an AKARNG signal specialist. "The prior service connection has definitely made for a positive experience for me, and it's great to be out here helping people who need it." (Courtesy photo)

Amid COVID-19 pandemic, Alaska Army National Guard’s 1-297th Infantry returns from Kosovo deployment
April 6, 2020 — While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to dominate the news cycle in America and all over the globe, Alaskans were reminded this weekend that the American Soldier has rarely had the luxury of prioritizing self. One of the fundamental oaths of the Soldier’s Creed is to always place the mission first. For more than 150 Alaska Army Guardsmen assigned... MORE

Sgt. Daniel Pau, a Soldier assigned to 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment, Alaska Army National Guard kisses his baby boy for the first time at Ted Steven Anchorage International Airport Apr. 4, 2020. Pau had just returned from a 9 month deployment to Kosovo for a NATO peacekeeping mission. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Seth LaCount/Released)

Alaska National Guard Biathlon Team shines during 2020 season
April 6, 2020 — The Alaska National Guard Biathlon Team kicked off their competition season by receiving gold medals at the 2020 National Guard Bureau Western Regional Biathlon Competition at the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center, in Midway, Utah, Jan. 10-11.At the competition, the Alaska women’s team took first place and the men’s team took home an overall second... MORE

The Alaska National Guard women’s team, from the left, Staff Sgt. Heather Percy, Chief Warrant Officer Five Tracy Dooley. Maj. Bonnie Wickham, Capt. Julie Kane, and 1st Sgt. Angela Horn, pose for a photo during the 2020 Chief, National Guard Bureau Biathlon Championships, Feb. 28-March 5, at the Soldier Hollow Nordic Center, in Midway, Utah.

Alaska Army Guard helps rescue Iditarod mushers after hitting seawater overflow
March 20, 2020 — Aircrew with the Alaska Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment, transported three Iditarod mushers after they and their sled dog teams went through flood waters along the Iditarod Trail this morning, about 25 miles outside of Nome.The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center received a distress signal from a personal locator beacon... MORE

An Alaska Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter aircrew performed a search and rescue mission for three Iditarod mushers about 25 miles east of Nome, March 20, 2020. The mushers and their dogs went through Bering Sea flood waters on the race trail and were wet and freezing. The aircrew transported two firefighter emergency medical technicians and Iditarod dog handlers to assist. The mushers were flown to Nome and transported to a local hospital. A local search and rescue team helped race dog handlers care for the sled team and returned them to Nome. (Courtesy photo)

Army Guardsman’s first Alaska exercise brings him to the top of the world in support of Arctic Eagle 2020
March 12, 2020 — Staring out the window of an Alaska Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter onto a endless sheet of ice, Staff Sgt. Jeremy Maddox finds himself in unfamiliar territory, over the frozen Beaufort Sea, 3,000 miles north of his hometown of Baker City, Oregon.After 12 years with the Oregon Army National Guard, the flight engineer and instructor,... MORE

U.S. Army Warrant Officer 1 Amanda Lopez, a pilot with the 2nd Battalion, 211th Aviation Regiment, prepares for take-off to Deadhorse, Alaska, in a CH-47 Chinook on Feb. 24, 2020, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. The Alaska National Guard is hosting Exercise Arctic Eagle 2020, a joint-training exercise, Feb. 20 to March 6, 2020 throughout Alaska, including Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Eielson Air Force Base, Fort Wainwright, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta and as far north as Teshekpuk Lake. As a homeland security and emergency response exercise, Arctic Eagle 20 is designed to increase the National Guard’s ability and effectiveness to operate in the extreme cold-weather conditions found in Arctic environments. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Amy Picard)

Alaska National Guard’s exercise Arctic Eagle 2020 wraps up
March 12, 2020 — Exercise Arctic Eagle 2020, a two-week biennial exercise organized by the Alaska National Guard, came to an end Mar. 7. The exercise included about 1,250 participants from multiple local and federal civilian agencies as well as foreign and domestic military components, including approximately 900 Air and Army Guardsmen from 15 states, and it took... MORE

Captain Jason Grupp assists in building a polar chief arctic weather shelter as part of the ski way construction team during Air National Guard exercise Arctic Eagle

(U.S. Air National Guard photo by Technical Sergeant Jamie Spaulding/released)

Innovators in cold-weather technology integrate with participants at Arctic Eagle 2020
March 5, 2020 — Approximately 70 research and development experts traveled to Fairbanks, Alaska, to participate in the Alaska National Guard’s exercise Arctic Eagle 2020.With over 600,000 square miles of diverse terrain and weather, Alaska presents numerous challenges for military members and emergency responders. In the event of a natural disaster or emergency... MORE

A joint search and extraction mission within a helicopter crash scenario was conducted on Fort Wainwright, Alaska, Feb. 23, as part of Arctic Eagle 2020. Arctic Eagle is a statewide exercise involving national, state and local agencies designed to provide opportunities for participants to conduct sustained operations in the extreme cold-weather conditions found in arctic environments. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Grace Nechanicky)

Alaska Army Guard medic participates in Arctic Eagle 2020
February 29, 2020 — Alaska Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Conner, a member of the 297th Infantry Battalion medical platoon, participated in Arctic Eagle 2020 at the search and extraction mass casualty simulation venue at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, Feb. 25.At this venue, military members from the Marine Corps, Air Force, Army, Air National Guard, Army National... MORE

Alaska Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Conner, a member of the 297th Infantry Battalion medical platoon, poses for a photo. Conner has been an Army Guard medic since 2010, and has worked as a firefighter for about 30 years. His current position is fire chief at Ester Volunteer Fire Department. (Courtesy photo)