An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

NEWS | March 20, 2021

Alaska Air National Guard to receive four additional KC-135 Stratotankers at Eielson AFB

By Lt. Col. Candis Olmstead

Four KC-135 Stratotankers and more than two hundred active duty U.S. Air Force personnel will join theAlaska Air National Guard's 168th Wing, Guardians of the Last Frontier, to provide aerial refueling capability for the United States Air Force in the Arctic region and around the world. Acting Secretary of the Air Force John P. Roth approved Eielson Air Force Base as the preferred location to redistribute four active duty KC-135 aircraft to the Air National Guard from a mix of active duty locations, March 18. The aircraft are expected to arrive in 2023.

The Alaska Air National Guard’s 168th Wing at Eielson AFB is the only Arctic region air refueling unit in the United States, and their squadron of eight tankers transfers more fuel than any other Air National Guard tanker wing. Most aircraft they refuel are active duty assets, many of which are on federal operational missions. They also provide aerial refueling support to military aircraft for training missions and in support of exercises.

“The Alaska Air National Guard does an incredible job working with our mission partners in an existing association with shared aircraft and active duty personnel at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, and we will expand that healthy partnership up north at Eielson Air Force Base,” said Maj. Gen. Torrence Saxe, adjutant general of the Alaska National Guard and commissioner for the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. “The additional KC-135s and personnel underscore the growing importance of the Arctic and our mission to protect and defend our state and nation.”

The expansion of the tanker force in Alaska supports the 2019 Department of Defense Arctic Strategy by addressing the new and emerging threats in the Asia-Pacific region.

According to a USAF press release, the 2019 DoD Arctic Strategy outlines the department’s role and efforts to optimize Air and Space Force capabilities throughout the region in support of the National Defense Strategy by defending the homeland, competing when necessary to maintain favorable regional balances of power, and ensuring common domains remain free and open.
Cadets soar in Civil Air Patrol search and rescue exercise
November 13, 2023
Civil Air Patrol Lt. Col. Stephen Sammons, left, Alaska Wing emergency services officer, instructs CAP cadets from the Southcentral Region where to find an Emergency Locator Transmitter onboard a Cessna 172 aircraft during a three-day training event Nov. 4, 2023, at the Birchwood Airport in Chugiak, Alaska.

A new set of cross pistols: AKARNG "Wolf Gang" Military Police Company deactivates, ushering in new detachment
November 3, 2023
Alaska Army National Guard Capt. Michael Thrall, left, outgoing commander, and 1st Sgt. Bethany Amarone, outgoing noncommissioned officer in charge, both assigned to the 297th Military Police Company, retire the colors of the unit’s flag as part of a deactivation ceremony for the company at the Alcantra Armory in Wasilla, Alaska, Nov. 2, 2023.

Alaska Army National Guard’s Bison Company set to deploy to Middle East
September 30, 2023
Alaska Army National Guard 1st Sgt. Oliver Meza, Bravo Company first sergeant, shows off his unit’s patch during a deployment ceremony where family members, friends, and fellow Guardsmen came together to pay tribute to Soldiers of B Co., 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry Regiment, at the Alaska National Guard Armory on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Sept. 29, 2023.

910th Engineer Support Company constructs their skills
August 21, 2023
Alaska Army National Guard Sgt. David Kocur, a horizontal construction engineer assigned to the 910th Engineer Support Company, operates a grader to create a broad flat foundation on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Aug. 8, 2023.

176th Wing firefighters protect Nenana from wildfires
August 21, 2023
176th Wing firefighters protect Nenana from wildfires

Alaska Army National Guard rescues two hunters after plane crashes near Merrill Pass
August 18, 2023
HH-60M Black Hawk helicopter with the Alaska Army National Guard Golf Company, 2-211th, General Support Aviation Battalion

Navy celebrates Sol Atkinson for legacy of service to country, Alaskan veterans, community
August 10, 2023
Retired U.S. Navy Chief Warrant Officer 4 Solomon Atkinson, center, is greeted by Verdie Bowen, right, the director of the Alaska Office of Veterans Affairs, and escorted by son-in-law Franklin Hayward before receiving the Alaska Governor’s Veteran Advocacy Award during a ceremony in Metlakatla, Alaska, Dec. 10, 2018.

207th Engineer Utilities Detachment retires the colors
August 8, 2023
Alaska Army National Guardsmen with the 207th Engineer Utilities Detachment salute as the national anthem plays during the unit’s deactivation ceremony at the Camp Carroll flagpole on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Aug. 5, 2023.

Alaska National Guardsmen assist with Interior Alaska wildland fires
August 7, 2023
An Alaska Army National Guard UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter assigned to 207th Aviation Troop Command operates near Ladd Army Airfield Aug. 3., 2023 in support of wildland fire suppression across Interior Alaska. During fire suppression operations, the UH-60 employs a Bambi Bucket filled with approximately 630 gallons of water from a nearby lake. The Alaska Army National Guard deployed the UH-60 and air crew July 31, 2023 after receiving a resource request from the Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection routed through the State Emergency Operations Center.

176th Air Defense Squadron surveillance technician competes in arctic triathlon
August 2, 2023
176th Air Defense Squadron surveillance technician competes in arctic triathlon