The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), also called the Pentagon, is the federal department that oversees the U.S. armed forces. In Alaska it operates Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Eielson Air Force Base and Fort Greely, and leads Arctic strategy and the Red Flag-Alaska training exercises.
Seal: U.S. Department of Defense via Wikimedia Commons · Photo source · Public domain
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Anchorage, AK 99505, USA
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Pete Hegseth
“that's why today we're here to proudly announce construction of the largest U.S. shipyard since World War II.”White House: President Trump Delivers Remarks, Oct. 6, 2026 · Oct 6, 2026
Brian Shimpf
“In the years ahead, Arsenal 2 will bring thousands of skilled manufacturing jobs back to the site and return Sparrows Point to shipbuilding.”White House: President Trump Delivers Remarks, Oct. 6, 2026 · Oct 6, 2026
Robert Goucher
“Arsenal 2 will play a significant role in meeting this challenge by adding capacity this enterprise does not have today.”White House: President Trump Delivers Remarks, Oct. 6, 2026 · Oct 6, 2026
White House: President Trump Delivers Remarks, Oct. 6, 2026 · Oct 6, 2026
White House: President Trump Delivers Remarks, Oct. 6, 2026 · Oct 6, 2026
Robert Goucher
“Arsenal 2 will help us attack production bottlenecks with the footprint to add up to 9 million production hours per year into our submarine supply chain. That's a 15% surge in total capacity.”White House: President Trump Delivers Remarks, Oct. 6, 2026 · Oct 6, 2026
Fort Wainwright advocates say domestic abuse goes beyond physical violence
Fort Wainwright's Family Advocacy Program marks Domestic Violence Awareness Month with Exchange booths, a 24/7 hotline and restricted reporting for abuse victims.
by Maggie AlaskaNews11h ago2 min read
Army Chinook flew a bridge to a roadless Interior radar site to secure its only water line
Army CH-47 Chinook sling-loads an aluminum bridge to the Indian Mountain Long-Range Radar Site near Hughes to secure its only water line; Oregon Guard crews make repairs.
by Alaska News2d ago2 min read
Fairbanks borough mayor proposes pause on large data center permits through 2027
Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor Grier Hopkins proposes a moratorium on large data center land use permits through 2027, following Houston and Petersburg.
by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read
FAA proposes redrawing Anchorage basin airspace and flight paths for JBER's extended runway
The FAA is taking comment through Nov. 9 on a plan to redraw Anchorage basin airspace and flight paths for JBER's Runway 17. Its draft finds no significant impacts but projects noise increases for 364 residents by 2032.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
Army sets up new units at JBER and Fort Wainwright to receive soldiers moving to Alaska
11th Airborne Division sets up Installation Reception Companies at JBER and Fort Wainwright to receive and prepare soldiers and families moving to Alaska.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago1 min read
Fire crews to burn debris piles on Interior Army training lands through Oct. 31
The U.S. Wildland Fire Service may begin burning woody debris piles Tuesday at Fort Wainwright, the Yukon Training Area and the Donnelly Training Area. Smoke may be visible from the Richardson Highway and Chena Hot Springs Road through Oct. 31.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
Failing controls keep shutting down JBER's F-22 paint booths, Air Force says
The Air Force plans a sole-source, $79,890 award to WHESCO Group to replace outdated controls on four F-22 paint booths at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
by Alaska News2w ago2 min read
Air Force parts shop at JBER seeks quotes for a 3D printer before funding is in hand
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson's Air Force metals technology shop seeks quotes for a 3D printer system with installation and training, pending federal funding.
by Melinda Communities.News3w ago2 min read
Federal audit finds Eielson Air Force Base short hundreds of support workers, with one person left in housing
GAO audit: Eielson Air Force Base had 428 vacant support positions, a one-person housing office and 407-day hiring times after 2025 federal workforce cuts.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
A jet fuel truck at JBER is out until at least the end of December
The Air Force is seeking a replacement engine for an R-11 refueler truck at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, with quotes due Sept. 24 and delivery in December.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
The federal stake in Trilogy Metals closes, terms made public
The federal government's investment in Trilogy Metals, developer of Alaska's Ambler district, has closed, giving it a 10 percent stake plus warrants.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Fish and Wildlife bought its ninth no-bid track loader for $248,954
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awarded Caterpillar Inc. of Irving, Texas, a $248,954 sole-source contract for a compact track loader with forestry attachments for the JBER Wildland Fire Branch, running through Sept. 3, 2027.
by Alaska News1mo ago1 min read
Washington bought into Ambler. The payoff depends on the road being built
Trilogy Metals signed agreements giving the federal government about 10 percent of the company, with warrants it cannot exercise until the Ambler road is built.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago4 min read
Anchorage trails plan keeps Muldoon trail but drops JBER from its name
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson asked planners to delete the Muldoon Perimeter Trail from Anchorage's 2026 Recreational Trails Plan, citing mission incompatibility. The project team kept the concept, citing public support. The AMATS Technical Advisory Committee takes up the plan Thursday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Air Force names 2nd Lt. Leah Borsich as airman killed in Cape Newenham crash
The Eleventh Air Force identified 2nd Lt. Leah R. Borsich, 23, of the 611th Civil Engineer Squadron at JBER as the airman killed in the Aug. 20 Cape Newenham crash. Alaska State Troopers will name the victims not affiliated with the Department of War.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Army moves to end state review of ground work at two Alaska posts
The Army has proposed terminating the Programmatic Agreement governing Section 106 review at Fort Wainwright and Fort Greely, shifting to a new Army-wide framework that makes the Alaska SHPO advisory only and leaves determinations to installation staff.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min read
Charter plane crash at Cape Newenham radar site kills eight
A Security Aviation Cessna 441 that left Anchorage crashed Thursday afternoon on approach to the Cape Newenham Long Range Radar Site airstrip in western Alaska, killing two pilots and six passengers. The NTSB is investigating.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Alaska students will spend the year researching the veterans buried at Fort Richardson
The VA's National Cemetery Administration awarded the University of Alaska Anchorage $325,000 for a one-year Veterans Legacy Program project sending dual-enrolled high school students and undergraduates into the burial records of Fort Richardson National Cemetery, with a campus memorial and a cemetery walking tour among the deliverables.
by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago2 min read
An airman's idea for a cargo cart is out to bid at JBER
A new Air Force solicitation seeks engineering and fabrication of a Version 2.0 Logistics Operational Device cart, a manual alternative to K-loaders, with final fit-checks and operational testing at JBER alongside the 176th Logistics Readiness Squadron.
by Alaska News2mo ago1 min read
College student airlifted off Resurrection Pass after allergic reaction 14 miles in
An 18-year-old college student visiting Alaska was airlifted off the Resurrection Pass Trail after an allergic reaction left him struggling to breathe 14 miles from the trailhead.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
The Blue Angels headlined JBER's Arctic Thunder, their first Anchorage show since 2016
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels headlined JBER's Arctic Thunder Open House on Aug. 8-9, their first appearance at the Anchorage base since 2016, in one of Alaska's largest public events.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Heavy military flying returns over Anchorage as Red Flag-Alaska war games resume
Red Flag-Alaska 26-3 brings fighter jet training over Anchorage into late August, though the base and Pacific Air Forces give different start dates. JBER lists Aug. 14, not the Friday before the exercise, as its heavy flying day.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly weights resolution would back JBER buildout as base housing nears full
An Anchorage Assembly resolution would commit the city to planning for a projected JBER buildup, on a base whose family housing is already about 98% occupied.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Anchorage seeks 50 acres of JBER land for a waste-to-energy plant
Anchorage officials told the Assembly Legislative Committee on Thursday that both House and Senate defense bills would convey about 50 acres of JBER land next to the Anchorage Regional Landfill for a waste-to-energy plant. The House version orders the transfer. The Senate version only directs study.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Eielson Air Force Base hiring fair set for Thursday
The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development is promoting a hiring fair at Eielson Air Force Base on Thursday, Aug. 6, the same day a federal laborer posting at the base with 12 vacancies closes.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
The military is adding a thousand people to a base that's already full
JBER family housing is nearly full as the military plans to add about 1,050 personnel in Alaska. An Anchorage Assembly resolution weighs the added housing pressure.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Kodiak's spaceport is expanding as the FAA moves to waive its reviews
As Rocket Lab expands Kodiak's spaceport for Space Force missile-defense launches, the FAA has proposed waiving NEPA, Endangered Species Act and historic-preservation reviews.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Alaska stands up a new office to coordinate military affairs
Gov. Dunleavy created the Alaska Military Affairs Office to coordinate defense matters and pursue federal funding, backed by a Pentagon OLDCC grant of undisclosed size.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Eielson airshow returns this weekend, with brief highway stops for the flyovers
The free Arctic Lightning Airshow returns to Eielson Air Force Base Aug. 2 weekend. Drivers on the Richardson Highway face brief traffic stops during aerial performances.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
The Army's last airborne cavalry squadron made its final jump at JBER
The Army reflagged the 1-40th Cavalry at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson as the 1st Battalion, 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment, ending its last airborne cavalry squadron.
by Alaska News2mo ago1 min read
Rocket Lab wins $266 million DoD contract for suborbital launches from Kodiak spaceport
The U.S. Department of Defense awarded Rocket Lab a $266 million firm-fixed-price contract Tuesday for 12 suborbital HASTE launches from the state-owned Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska on Kodiak Island, with an option for six additional missions by Dec. 31, 2028.
by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago2 min read
Air Force seeks contractor to install communications gear at remote Shemya outpost
The 766th Enterprise Sourcing Squadron issued an RFQ Friday to install a communications container and optional tower at Eareckson Air Station on Shemya Island, with quotes due July 24 and a five-week construction window ending August 31.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min read
Fairbanks rally targets data centers as Air Force pursues Eielson lease
Alaskans for Data Center Accountability holds a Fairbanks rally Saturday evening against 15 proposed statewide data centers, the same week the Air Force's Eielson lease interest appeared as one item in Mayor Hopkins' chair report at the borough's April 28 Economic Development Commission meeting.
by Melinda Communities.Newsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Parks Highway closed at MP 274 near Clear Space Force Station
A disabled semi-truck is blocking the Parks Highway at Milepost 274, south of Clear Space Force Station, closing the road as of early Thursday. The Alaska 511 alert lists the closure as active through 1:33 AM UTC Friday, July 18.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A Washington pharmacy fight could hit Alaska's military families hardest
A Senate fight over TRICARE's pharmacy contract could hit Alaska's military families hardest, where cuts that pushed out local pharmacies leave a plane ride or unreliable mail-order as the alternative.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
U.S. Senate stalls defense bill, freezing $2.6B for Alaska
The Senate blocked the FY2027 defense bill 50-46 over the Iran war and budget, stalling $2.6 billion in Alaska military construction. Sullivan and Murkowski voted yes.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Air Force opens bidding to lease 4,400 acres at Eielson for private development
The Department of the Air Force issued a formal solicitation Saturday to lease roughly 4,400 acres across four Eielson AFB parcels to a private developer for up to 50 years, with proposals due August 10 and no government utilities, financing, or emergency services included.
by Melinda Communities.News3mo ago2 min read
Doyon wants to raise Fort Richardson water rates by nearly half
Doyon Utilities has proposed a 50.90% increase in annual water revenue requirements for Fort Richardson, the largest rate change in a batch of military utility filings now before the Regulatory Commission of Alaska. Public comments are due July 21.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Allied forces rehearse the next war in the Alaska wilderness
Air Force Tactical Air Control Party Airmen from the 20th ASOS used Red Flag-Alaska 26-2 at Eielson AFB and JBER to demonstrate an expanded battlefield role that now includes small drones, electronic warfare, and real-time targeting in degraded environments, with allied senior leaders watching to assess future participation.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Starry Fire forced Anderson evacuations before rain held Alaska's June burn total low
A June 20 lightning strike near Anderson triggered Denali Borough evacuation notices before firefighters contained the Starry Fire at 575 acres, even as Alaska logged fewer than 29,000 acres burned statewide, the sixth-lowest June total since 1993, despite roughly 75,000 lightning strikes.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read