U.S. Coast Guardsmen bring a simulated patient onto an HC-130 Hercules aircraft during Alaska Shield 2014 in Kodiak, Alaska, March 31, 2014. Alaska Shield was part of Ardent Sentry, a NORAD and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM)-directed exercise focusing on defense support of civil authorities in response to simulated weather, security and disaster contingencies. While Ardent Sentry is primarily a command post exercise, several field training events were conducted at various locations within the USNORTHCOM area of responsibility.