Here's how you know
 **Official websites use .mil** .mil
 **Secure .mil websites use HTTPS** lock () https://


Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 Toggle navigation
            
            
            
            
            National Guard
                        Always Ready Always There
                    National Guard
            
            Search National Guard:
                        Search
                    Search
                        Search National Guard:
                            Search
    Home

    News
    
        Guard News

    Overseas Operations

    State Partnership Program

    News Features

    RSS Feeds

    Press Releases

    Transcripts

    Features
    
        Features by Year

    Posture Statement

    State Partnership Program

    Special Features

    About the Guard
    
        How We Began

    Air National Guard

    Army National Guard    
    
        DEERS Soldier Journey

    Leader Development Program

    History and Heritage

    I am the Guard

    NGB Official March

    Leadership
    
        CNGB

    VCNGB

    SEA

    DANG

    DARNG

    Joint Staff    
    
        J-1

    J-2

    J-3

    J-4

    J-5

    J-6

    J-7

    J-8

    Personal Staff    
    
        Inspector General

    General Counsel

    Public Affairs

    Executive Support Services

    Legislative Liaison

    Special Staff    
    
        National Guard Office of Special Victims' Counsel

    Office of the Provost Marshal

    Office of the Joint Surgeon

    Director of Acquisitions

    Small Business Programs

    Chaplain

    Senior Leader Management Office

    Diversity Equity Inclusion

    Comptroller

    Resources    
        National Defense Strategy Implementation Guidance

    Community Engagement

    FOIA

    Fact Sheets

    Helpful Links

    Image Gallery
    
        News Images

    Graphics

    Historical Paintings

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    Legislative Liaison

    Small Business Programs

    Social Media

    State Websites

    Videos    
    
        Featured Videos

    On Every Front

    2019 Videos

    2020 Videos

    2021 Videos

    Suicide Prevention

    Family Programs

    Environmental

    Trial Defense Service

    Holistic Wellness Challenge

    Contact Us  Home
  News
  Article View
 
 Download
 Details
 Share
 NEWS
 Alaska Guard leaders excited for future training exercises By Courtesy Story
 CAMP DENALI, Alaska - Citizen Soldiers and Airmen, along their active duty counterparts, are arriving in Alaska this week to participate in a joint exercise that combines the State of Alaska's 'Alaska Shield'
exercise, National Guard's 'Vigilant Guard' exercise and Joint Task Force Alaska's "Arctic Edge." This large scale joint exercise, which simulates a response to a large earthquake, includes more than 4,000 participants from 51 organizations and Guard units from seven states to include Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Hawaii, Oregon, Michigan and North Carolina is scheduled to end on May 1. This year, participants will converge on Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson and several venues near the city of Anchorage as well as locations near Kenai and Valdez, but Guard leaders hope future large scale joint military exercises will be able to use one of Alaska's premier training sites, the Joint Pacific Alaskan Range Complex (JPARC). The JPARC, located mainly in central Alaska, with the additional huge maritime portion extending over the Gulf of Alaska, consists of military training airspace, maritime air and surface training space, and land area live-fire training ranges. This vast stretch of land lies among rivers, mountains, and forests stretching 67,000 miles across the sparsely-populated areas of the Alaska interior and stretches another 44,000 miles into the Gulf of Alaska. The Alaska National Guard, in partnership with state of Alaska and the Alaskan Railroad, is hopeful that a one-mile long bridge over the Tanana River will make this training dream a reality, said Maj. Gen. Thomas H.
Katkus, adjutant general and commissioner of the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. "We want to be able to synchronize our training efforts and bring multiple states together," said Katkus. "JPARC would open up Alaska to the rest of the world." According to Katkus, the JPARC would combine cold weather training, excellent mountainous terrain and the benefit of long periods of daylight - conditions not dissimilar to those found in Afghanistan. "The JPARC brings the unique aspects of Alaska - large, all domain, training space, robust base infrastructure, and a culturally-friendly environment for military training - into the joint military training resource mix for all of the Department of Defense," said Mr. Steven Hatter, Alaskan Command's Joint Training and Ranges Administrator during an interview with the U.S. Air Force last June. "Alaska has in place the infrastructure to support an elaborate exercise such as Vigilant Guard, with air, land, maritime, space, and cyber space domains leveraged with very little concern of encroachment or interference," Hatter said. "The JPARC mission is to provide a highly realistic and effective environment for combat aircrew, ground crew, and command staff, who can focus on joint warfighting skills." "The JPARC includes, among many other qualities, an $80 million investment that affords our military an urban training scenario with austere landing conditions allowing strategic airlift to go in, land, offload troops, accomplish pararescue drops, and provide close air support (to ground troops)," said Lt. Gen. Dana T. Atkins, commander of Alaskan Command and 11th Air Force. This year's Vigilant Guard exercise will show that Alaska stands ready to bring to bear our resources and efforts in a synchronized manner to protect our citizens," said Katkus. "We will establish a standard of how we do it here in Alaska and present an example that can be followed by the rest of the nation."
 SHARE
 PRINT
 
 NY Army Guard Band Performs for Netherlands King and Queen
 By Eric Durr,
  Air National Guard Conducts Sentry Savannah Exercise
 By Master Sgt. Caila Arahood and Senior Airman Victoria Coursey,
  Hawaii Air National Guard Hosts Sentry Aloha Joint Exercise
 By Tech. Sgt. John Linzmeier,
  More
 Air National Guard Conducts Sentry Savannah Exercise Guard News • 9 hours ago
 Hawaii Air National Guard Hosts Sentry Aloha Joint Exercise Guard News • 10 hours ago
 National Guard, US Army North, FEMA Train for Hurricane Response Guard News • 11 hours ago
 Cal Air Guard F-15 Pilots Train with Marine Corps F-35 Pilots Guard News • 11 hours ago
 Tennessee Guard Rescues Hiker in Great Smoky Mountains Park Guard News • 3 days ago
 2024 (193)  2023 (427)  2022 (526)  2021 (697)  2020 (936)  2019 (387)  2018 (323)  2017 (346)  2016 (245)  2015 (356)  2014 (399)  2013 (469)  2012 (556)  2011 (533)  2010 (1071)  2009 (357)  2008 (638)  2007 (295)  2006 (188)
 Home
 Site Map
 Privacy & Security Policy
 Link Disclaimer
 Web Policy
 DOD Information Quality
 DOD Open GovernmentFOIA
 No FEAR Act
 Accessibility/Section 508
 Contact Us
 Army Guard Careers
 Air Guard Careers
 USA.gov
                    
Staying Connected
    XYouTubeFlickrFacebookInstagram
                 
                
                

Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil