Military branches based in Alaska which are in the Arctic and buffering an ever-more hostile Russia and preparing to be deployed to trouble spots are fighting another threat that is a housing shortage.
In testimony during the legislative session’s inaugural hearing of the Joint Armed Services Committee, Alaska military officials on Tuesday outlined some of the challenges faced by Alaskans in housing.
In Eielson Air Force Base close to Fairbanks expanding operations at Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks will increase the burden on housing, according to U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. David Nahom, commanding officer for the Command’s North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Alaskan NORAD Region.
“We remain concerned about this when we are bringing more assets into the Fairbanks region, particularly the air fuelers we have entering. One of my top concerns is dormitories.” Nahom said. Nahom who is also the leader of his own unit, the Alaskan Command and the Eleventh Air Force.
A few airmen have shifted into contingency dormitories, a military term used to describe overflow housing and billeting rooms which are rooms that are rented out in non-military places. However, this is only a temporary alternative, Nahom said. “Those aren’t ideal for the long-term housing for airmen inside,” he said.
This means that Eielson without housing for visitors to units coming for training exercises such as Red Flag Alaska Eielson explained. Visitors to units are often forced to look for housing in downtown areas that can be extremely costly, sometimes even prohibitively expensive.
“The current trend that I’m seeing are that units have stopped Red Flag Alaska participation,” the official said. “The crucial thing is to construct the dormitories in order to have airmen in appropriate dormitories, and then I can remove the accommodation for traveling units.”
Nahom said that the Air Force want to get an additional on-base residence located at Eielson for junior personnel, and plans to collaborate with local authorities and the state to achieve this. “It’s extremely difficult for the junior officers to afford the cost of living in downtown and to live in the area, based on their pay,” he said.
Major. General. Brian Eifler, the commander of Maj. Gen. Brian Eifler, commander of the U.S. Army’s 11th Airborne Division, agreed that housing was scarce in the Fairbanks area, home of U.S. Army Garrison Alaska and Fort Wainwright.
In addition to securing housing In addition to securing housing, the Army is working to help soldiers feel more at and at home in Alaska which is a state that is becoming more important to the military, Eifler said.
“The Army has volunteers that travel to Alaska isn’t it? However, not every person is ready to shout”Send me to Alaska and I’ll go there,'” he said, noting that a lot of people who are who are stationed in Alaska are from very diverse parts of the nation. “We need to get our soldiers to this from wherever they are and make sure that they’re prepared to not only live in Alaska and be with their families but also perform their duties here, and be able to complete their work under firing.” This is a key reason that outdoor exercises in Alaska conditions are crucial as he explained.
In the case of U.S. Coast Guard, which is expanding its Alaska presence certain housing requirements are being addressed by new construction currently in process or being planned, according to Rear Admiral. Nathan Moore, who is in charge of Alaska operations.
“We’re witnessing growth and development in a way that we’ve previously seen within the Coast Guard before, new assets for us. New cutters, aircraft, and boats mean new shore facilities” Moore, commander of the Coast Guard’s 17th District, told lawmakers.
In Kodiak the dock for cargo is currently being built to make way in anticipation of the arrival fast-response cutters, as well as patrol cutters, is already underway on housing for those new vessels, he explained. In Sitka which is where a new fast-response vessel is scheduled to be delivered and it is reported that the Coast Guard just finished a land transfer along the waterfront to provide additional infrastructure. In Seward which is where a new vessel is scheduled to dock to, it is reported that the Coast Guard is acquiring some housing tracts, according to the official. “We have funds in reserve to buy the property, and to build housing to accommodate the larger number of crews the new vessel will add in to Seward,” he said.
One area of concern is Nome in the area where there are plans to increase the capacity of the city port into a deepwater Arctic-service port, which Moore described as the possibility of a “fantastic opportunity” to support Coast Guard operations.
The state can help to help the Coast Guard meet its need for housing in other areas, Moore said. “What we are extremely keen on is as we construct the new assets and put them into locations, we’ll likely require assistance in coordinating things like the development of logistics footprints and housing,” he said.
The story first appeared in Alaska Beacon and is republished here with permission.
