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.”