Chugach says Coast Guard buildup will bring more families to Alaska

Coast Guard members and their families are expected to move into Alaska communities in growing numbers as the service builds up its cutter fleet, Chugach Alaska Corporation said after receptions it hosted in Cordova and Valdez last week. The Alaska Native corporation, formed under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act with more than 3,000 shareholders, called the growth an opportunity for coastal communities and pointed to Seward as a planned future homeport.

Chugach brought Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday and Sen. Dan Sullivan to both towns. In Valdez, the two addressed residents on the service's expanding presence. Rear Adm. Bob Little, commander of the Coast Guard Arctic District, joined the gatherings, which followed the Coast Guard Foundation's Alaska Awards Dinner in Anchorage, sponsored by Chugach and attended by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.

The Coast Guard said in April its first two Arctic Security Cutters would be based in Alaska. In June, the service specified Kodiak for those two and Seward for a third once infrastructure is ready. First delivery is expected in 2028. Alaska News has covered those decisions and this month's more than $2.3 million in federal shipyard grants to two Seward operators.

"The Coast Guard has been part of life in our coastal communities for generations, and the men and women who protect and serve here are our neighbors and part of our family," said Chugach Chairman Sheri Buretta, who said the corporation sees "real opportunity" as the service grows.

Chugach's work supports nearly every class of Coast Guard cutter operating in Alaska and, ashore, ranges from Coast Guard facilities to the Rescue 21 emergency communications network. CEO Jonathan Dalrymple tied that record to a spill-response partnership: "our TCC partnership has supported spill-response readiness in Prince William Sound for more than 30 years, and for more than 15 years we've helped keep the Coast Guard ready, from cutter to coast."

The Coast Guard said in April that ready homeport facilities, including housing, are essential to full operational capability. The Government Accountability Office has found that limited Alaska infrastructure and acquisition delays have kept the service from meeting all its Arctic commitments.