Over 10,000 U.S. service members have begun Northern Edge 2023, Alaska’s largest military event of the season. It’s said that the Air Force says it’s Alaska’s top training exercise.
“It’s an enormous event,” said Air Force Major. Clay Lancaster. “A large number of (additional) personnel are located in Alaska.” Alaska. A number of aircraft have flown into Alaska for training.”
Lancaster is the chief public relations agent for the 683th Air Base Wing at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, also known as JBER. Lancaster states that the 2017 Northern Edge includes more than 150 aircraft from the Air Force and Navy and the U.K. and Australia, both of which have lent troops and warplanes to participate in the biennial event.
An Pacific Air Forces news release states that allies will assist trainers by providing “an chance for joint, multinational, and multi-domain operations that are designed to offer realistic, high-end training for warfighters as well as improve interoperability between forces and increase the combat capabilities of participants.”
A few Alaskans including commercial fishermen, environmentalists and coastal residents have voiced their opposition to the exercise, including parts that involve live ammunition which is harmful to whales and salmon migrating north during the summer months. Rear Admiral. Mark Sucato, commander of the Navy’s Northwest Region, recently visited Alaska to discuss these concerns and to discuss Navy research that he believes that he is fighting the concerns.
Lancaster states that having the support of service members from other nations in two branches of U.S. military makes it an even better opportunity for training.
“It’s crucial to be trained in a team training environment” said the official “and this is why we’re thankful for our state Alaska with its incredible training facilities in this area.”
This includes those 65,000 sq miles airspace over that Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex which is a system of training zones scattered across the state, and 42,000 square nautical miles off the coast in addition to temporary maritime activity areas.
Lancaster spoke in an interview on Monday said that his Navy “established the maritime training zones within the Gulf of Alaska, and it provides them with a substantial capacity to learn.” He added that the Navy will bring four warships for this year’s training exercise which include The secretive destroyer USS Zumwalt and the Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Momsen, the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain and the dock landing vessel USS Harpers Ferry.
Momsen and the Momsen arrived at Homer this week for two days of stay.
Lancaster said Alaskans can be sure to witness a lot of military activity taking place in those regions of the Gulf during the exercise, as well as air activity in both of Alaska’s Air Force bases — Eielson close to Fairbanks and JBER located near Anchorage.
“They sort of take away and ultimately land on bases, and then they go into the JPARC and do what they do,” he said. “And the next day, they return and arrive at Eielson where they arrive on JBER.”
Certain aircrafts will operate from two airports: Fairbanks as well as Anchorage internationally-operated airports.
Lancaster stated that the majority of the activities will occur on weekday mornings and in afternoons. He said that the Air Force and Navy also have been working to notify fishermen, hunters, and other people living in remote areas about the increased naval and aircraft activities during the exercise.
