Military
RSSJoint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Fort Wainwright, Eielson AFB, Coast Guard District 17 Sector Juneau, Alaska Command, Arctic defense buildup, VA Healthcare System Alaska, Veterans Benefits Administration claims, National Guard, military training exercises
Allied forces rehearse the next war in the Alaska wilderness
2,100 troops and 75 aircraft from four nations trained over interior Alaska this spring, where Alaska-based airmen rehearsed a new role: flying drones and jamming comms, not just calling strikes.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Interior Alaska Veterans Cemetery breaks ground in Salcha
Alaska broke ground on its first state veterans cemetery in Salcha, 30 miles south of Fairbanks, with construction expected to finish by October 2027.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
The FAA wants to end the 50-year ban on supersonic flight — and Alaska has the sky for it
Supersonic flight over the U.S. has been banned since 1973. The FAA wants to lift it — and few states have more empty sky for boomless supersonic jets than Alaska.
by Alaska News2mo ago2 min readAI
A soldier died guarding Fort Wainwright's gate. The drunk driver who hit him will serve 17 years.
A North Pole woman will serve 17 years for a drunk-driving crash that killed a soldier guarding Fort Wainwright's gate. Her blood alcohol was nearly four times the limit.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
Tlingit & Haida Unveils Revitalized Veterans Totem Pole in Juneau
The Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes held a ceremony to unveil a revitalized veterans totem pole at Southeast Alaska
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readAI
Anchorage Assembly unanimously passes veteran-owned business preference ordinance
Anchorage Assembly unanimously passed a veteran-owned business preference for city contracts, letting qualifying vets match the lowest bid rather than automatically winning at higher cost.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
A Plan to Reopen Rural Alaska's Armories — On Paper
Sullivan's bill to reopen rural Alaska's shuttered armories cleared committee — but for now it orders a study, and the price of running bases in roadless villages is the unanswered question.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
A Record Alaska Defense Bill Clears Its First Hurdle
A Senate panel advanced a bill teeing up $2.6 billion for Alaska's military — though "authorized" is Washington for "don't spend it yet," and the number tends to shrink on the way to law.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
The Army Just Ran a Shark Tank in Alaska — and a Soldier's Enemy-Sniffing Drone Won
The Army ran a Shark Tank in Alaska, and a soldier's drone that narcs on the enemy's radios took the prize. Losing pitches still "win," per the general.
by Melinda Communities.News3mo ago2 min readAI
Six nations, 70-plus aircraft, an airspace bigger than Britain: the war over Alaska was a drill
The U.S. military ran a two-week air-combat drill in June with over 70 aircraft from six nations, including Singapore and Britain, practicing strikes across 120,000 square miles of Alaska airspace to prepare pilots for real Pacific combat.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min readAI
Alaska's 1-40 Cav made its last cavalry jump June 10 — WWII lineage returns in July
Alaska's 1-40 Cavalry just made its last big jump as cavalry. In July they become the 1-511th, reviving a WWII unit that fought on Leyte and Luzon.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min readAI
Coast Guard seeks contractor for Kodiak rescue aircraft life-support gear
Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak is hiring a contractor to maintain life-support gear on rescue aircraft serving Alaska's deadliest fisheries, with proposals due June 29.
by Melinda Communities.Newsadded 3mo ago2 min readAI
Coast Guard to station three icebreakers in Kodiak, Seward
The Coast Guard will station two Arctic Security Cutters in Kodiak and one in Seward once infrastructure is built, adding a fourth icebreaker to Alaska's fleet with first delivery expected in 2028.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min readAI
Coast Guard to homeport four icebreakers in Alaska
Coast Guard will homeport four icebreakers in Alaska, with two Arctic Security Cutters in Kodiak by 2028 and a third in Seward, following $3.5 billion in federal funding.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min readAI
Iron Dog expands route to Huslia, Shungnak, Ambler after federal reversal
Vroom, vroom
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readAI
Coast Guard to homeport four icebreakers in Alaska
Coast Guard will homeport four icebreakers in Alaska by 2028, with two in Kodiak, one in Seward, and a fourth location to be named, funded by $3.5 billion in federal legislation.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min readAI
Coast Guard to homeport four icebreakers in Alaska
The Coast Guard will homeport two Arctic Security Cutters in Kodiak and one in Seward starting in 2028, funded by $3.5 billion in the 2025 Working Families Tax Cuts Act.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Crystal Ball shifts Alaska Senate race to toss-up as Peltola leads eight polls
University of Virginia's Crystal Ball rated Alaska's 2026 Senate race a toss-up, shifting from lean Republican after Democrat Mary Peltola entered against incumbent Dan Sullivan. • Peltola's campaign says she leads in eight consecutive polls and unveiled a wages-focused tax proposal. • Republican super PACs committed $21 million to oppose her.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Iron Dog race expands route to Huslia, Shungnak, Ambler
Iron Dog snowmachine race will expand its 2,500-mile route through Huslia, Shungnak, and Ambler after federal wildlife officials reversed a prior denial, clearing permits to cross three national refuges and parks.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min readAI
Alaska elections director moves to disqualify Senate challenger
Alaska's elections director ruled Thursday that Republican Senate challenger Dan J. Sullivan is ineligible to run in the August primary, citing unspecified complaints about his eligibility.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago1 min readAI
Anchorage advances 5% bid preference for veteran-owned firms
Anchorage Assembly advanced an ordinance giving veteran-owned businesses a five percent preference on city contracts capped at $50,000, affecting a city where veterans make up 13 percent of the adult population.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
The Air Force wants $7 billion for fighter recapitalization at Elmendorf — but Alaska's military investments are riding on a partisan bill senators don't think will pass
The Air Force requested $7 billion for fighter jets at Elmendorf-Richardson in its 2027 budget, but half the F-35 funding and other Alaska-critical spending is routed through a partisan bill that Republican and Democratic senators say will not pass.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
The Air Force wants a $338.8 billion budget — a 34% jump that includes a 130% Space Force boost that flows to Clear
Air Force seeks $338.8 billion for fiscal 2027, a 34 percent increase with Space Force funding up 130 percent. • Clear Space Force Station in interior Alaska could receive part of the $71.1 billion Space Force request. • Funding also targets facility upgrades at JBER and Eielson Air Force Base, addressing a $50 billion maintenance backlog.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
The Air Force wants to put AI data centers on Alaska military land — and the three sites tell three very different stories
Three Alaska military bases are auditioning to host the AI boom — JBER can't power it, Eielson is leaking PFAS at it, and Clear has 4,769 acres, a DDT drum dump, and all the groundwater you can drink.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min readAI
Air Force seeks contractor for Red Flag-Alaska exercise at JPARC
Air Force is seeking a service-disabled veteran-owned contractor to run threat simulation for Red Flag-Alaska 26-3 exercise at Eielson Air Force Base, with proposals due June 9.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min readAI
Federal job applications now require two-page resumes
Federal job applicants must now submit resumes of two pages or fewer through USAJOBS starting September 27, 2025, or face ineligibility for consideration.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min readAI
Alaska VA tech rollout faces staffing questions ahead of October launch
Alaska's VA converts to a new electronic health record Oct. 24 as the VA's IT chief acknowledges the department has lost experienced workers since the administration took office.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Dunleavy becomes permanent Arctic security chair under DOD agreement
Governor Mike Dunleavy signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Defense's Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies, making him the permanent Arctic Chair and formalizing Alaska's role in federal Arctic security discussions.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readAI
F-15 aborts takeoff at Eielson during Red Flag exercise
An F-15 aborted takeoff at Eielson Air Force Base on May 29 during Red Flag-Alaska exercises with no injuries or community threat, and an investigation is underway.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readAI
Anchorage veteran preference could exclude recent Afghanistan, Iraq vets
Anchorage Assembly is split on a veteran business preference for city contracts, with disagreement over whether to limit it to veterans discharged in the past five years and whether to require honorable discharge status.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readAI
Sullivan-backed federal work drives Alaska shipyard training deal
AIDEA, JAG Marine Group, and Generations Southeast signed a workforce training agreement January 13 to prepare Alaskans for shipyard jobs tied to federal icebreaker and Coast Guard maintenance work Senator Dan Sullivan has promoted.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min readAIVA budget seeks $488 billion with 60,000 Alaska veterans facing shift toward private care
VA requests $488 billion budget, shifting $17 billion toward private care while holding VA facility funding flat, affecting 60,000 Alaska veterans. • VA lost 50,000 employees in 2025 and 2026, raising concerns about workforce and direct care. • Budget cuts appeals processing and oversight despite rising caseloads. • Includes $10.4 billion for infrastructure and health records modernization.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago3 min readAI
Alaska Senate urges apprentice hiring goals for veterans on defense projects
Alaska Senate unanimously passed a resolution urging Congress to set hiring goals for apprentices and veteran apprentices on U.S. Defense Department construction projects.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Navy eyes return to Adak amid Arctic security concerns
The U.S. Navy is gathering information to potentially reestablish operations at Adak, marking a significant shift in Arctic military posture as adversary activity increases in the region.
by Alaska News4mo ago4 min readAI
