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Alaskan Command (ALCOM), headquartered at Elmendorf Air Force Base (AFB), Alaska, is one of four sub-unified commands under the Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command (USCINCPAC). As the senior military headquarters in Alaska, ALCOM is a total force team composed of more than 20,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen charged with protecting America’s interests in its “Last Frontier,” as Alaska is sometimes called, the Pacific region, and around the globe.

U.S. Army artillerymen of the 11th Field Artillery Regiment, Fort Wainwright, Alaska, conduct a live-fire exercise with an M-119A1 Howitzer.

Photo by PH1(NAC) Spike Call, USN

A U.S. Navy Trident submarine, the USS Ohio, exercises in Sitka Sound, Alaska, during exercise NORTHERN EDGE.

Photo by Sr. Amn. Craig Clapper, USAF

ALCOM is a key element of USCINCPAC’s strategy for sustaining ready deployable forces, developing regional partnerships and transforming our armed forces to meet new challenges. Military forces will undoubtedly continue to respond to a broad range of crises; America, her allies and strategic partners share both interests and responsibilities for managing regional flash points while respecting sovereignty. To do so effectively, we must get to the fight quickly and constitute an effective joint and coalition force. Common tactics, techniques, and procedures are essential for successful execution of missions ranging from humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping through small-scale contingencies to major regional conflicts.

Alaska’s strategic location and range complexes provide a unique venue to build current force readiness while seeking solutions to the security issues of the future. ALCOM’s training program, leveraging the unsurpassed range facilities in the theater, provides the U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) with opportunities for combined training and operational development uniquely suited to improving collective security in the Pacific.

Operational Environment

Strategic Location. Rapid deployment of operational forces to demonstrate will and intent to respond to crises is a central enabling factor for deterring aggression, ensuring stability, and preventing war. ALCOM provides a unique advantage in that it is strategically located near the center of the Northern Hemisphere. This position enables ALCOM to serve as a major hub for U.S. forces deploying to contingencies in the Pacific Theater and to support training deployments of other Pacific Rim nations. Alaska-based forces can deploy much more quickly to both Asia and Europe than can units from the U.S. West Coast.

Unique Training Advantages. While our current training infrastructure exceeds any in the world in quantity, ALCOM continues to improve the quality of our facilities to support future joint warfighting needs. Alaska’s diverse terrain and climate create an operating environment unlike any other in the United States. With more than 62,000 square miles (about 160,580 sq. km) of airspace, 1.5 million acres (about 607,031 hectares) of land maneuver area, 34,000 miles (about 54,718 km) of coastline and three deep-water ports, America’s 49th state offers an ideal location for air, land and sea forces to test their interoperability in a challenging environment.

ALCOM Roles. ALCOM’s first priority is to integrate all military activities within Alaska to maximize the readiness of in-theater forces. As a major deployment hub, we must sustain our bases to support large deployments of forces through and from Alaska for worldwide contingencies and protect the critical infrastructure essential to these operations. Finally, we coordinate military assistance to civilian authorities in Alaska in times of emergency or disaster. While daily operational control of forces within Alaska lies with the service components, ALCOM ensures that all actions within the theater best support USPACOM’s needs.

Alaskan Based Forces

Air Component. 11th Air Force provides a power projection capability unmatched anywhere in the United States. Top-of-the line fighters, transport and cargo aircraft, and command and control platforms comprise the airpower team that is part of two new Air Expeditionary Forces. The two wings, located at Elemendorf AFB, near Anchorage, and Eielson AFB, close to Fairbanks, include all current ground attack and air superiority fighters. The 3rd Wing at Elmendorf is one of the lead wings in the Expeditionary Air Force concept, and provides immense combat capability to USCINCPAC.