Army Stands Up New Command In Alaska | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.09.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.10.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Thu, Aug 22, 2024

Army Stands Up New Command In Alaska

Arctic Aviation Command Based At Fort Wainwright

Army aviators stationed in Alaska have been reporting to commanders at Fort Shafter in Hawaii or Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Seattle, Washington. But that is no longer the case, as the Army activated a new command known as the Arctic Aviation Command based at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks.

The new command structure will bring the two active-duty helicopter battalions under the new unit’s commander, Col. Russ Vanderlugt. They are the 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment and the 1st Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, and they will now be under the Alaska-based 11th Airborne Division. The leaders of those units will be in Alaska to manage activities such as training and risk management as well as provide a direct line of support through to the division.

The new command brings with it new equipment and ideas for cold-weather flying. Already, the heaters in some helicopters have been upgraded and windscreens have been installed for door gunners to avoid the sub-zero wind chill.

The 11th Airborne Division’s headquarters is at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, and was activated two years ago in alignment with the U.S. Arctic strategy to offset growing influences in the region from adversaries. For example, joint Naval exercises involving Russia and China off the Alaskan coast were identified as threats to Arctic stability. Having forces in Alaska enables the U.S. to get anywhere in the Pacific or to the north more rapidly.

Col. Vanderlugt continued, “A lot of forces will flow through Alaska. Our alignment here puts the aviation assets in the 11th Airborne really at the tip of the spear to be able to go anywhere quickly. It’s strategic. It’s intentional that we’re growing this capability here.”

FMI:  home.army.mil/wainwright/home

Advertisement

More News

NTSB Final Report: Aviat A1

Airplane Bounced About 3 Ft Then Touched Back Down And Then, With No Brakes Applied, The Airplane Began Veering To The Left Analysis: The pilot entered the airport traffic pattern >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.08.25)

Aero Linx: British Microlight Aircraft Association (BMAA) The primary focus within all aviation activity is SAFETY. In all aspects of our sport SAFETY must come first, whether it b>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Fly Corvair’s Reliable Engine Alternative

From SnF25 (YouTube Edition): William Wynne Builds Practical Aircraft Engines on the Corvair Platform Seeking an affordable alternative to the traditional aircraft engine options, >[...]

ANN FAQ: Contributing To Aero-TV

How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: CiES Fuel-Quantity and e-Throttle Systems Praised

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Bridge of CiES CiES Inc. is a Bend, Oregon-based designer and manufacturer of modular embedded aircraft systems and sensors. The company’s fuel-l>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC