Legislature(2017 - 2018)SENATE FINANCE 532
03/22/2018 11:30 AM Senate ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
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ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
JOINT ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
March 22, 2018
11:34 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Mia Costello, Co-Chair
Representative Scott Kawasaki, Co-Chair
Senator John Coghill
Senator Pete Kelly
Senator Bill Wielechowski
Senator Anna MacKinnon
Representative Tiffany Zulkosky
Representative Gabrielle LeDoux
Representative Geran Tarr
Representative Lora Reinbold
PUBLIC MEMBERS PRESENT
Nelson N. Angapak, Sr., Anchorage
Jerry Beasley, Chief Warrant Officer, USCG - retired - Juneau
Colonel Tim Jones - retired - Fairbanks
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
OTHER LEGISLATORS PRESENT
Representative Dan Saddler
Representative Ivy Spohnholz
Representative David Eastman
Representative Justin Parish
Senator Mike Shower
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
ARMED SERVICES BRIEFINGS:
- Major General Laurel J. Hummel, Adjutant General, Alaska
National Guard; Commissioner, Alaska Department of Military &
Veterans' Affairs
- Chief Master Sergeant Paul Nelson, Seventeenth U.S. Coast
Guard District, Juneau, Alaska
- Colonel Cory Mendenhall, Joint Headquarters, U.S. Army,
Juneau, Alaska
- Major General Mark O'Neil, Commanding General, U.S. Army,
Juneau, Alaska
- Rear Admiral Michael McAllister, Commander, Seventeenth U.S.
Coast Guard District, Juneau, Alaska
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
MAJOR GENERAL LAUREL J. HUMMEL, Adjutant General
Alaska National Guard
Commissioner, Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA)
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER), Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided National Guard Alaska and DMVA
activity update.
COLONEL CORY MENDENHALL
U.S. Army
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER), Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Stepping in for Lieutenant General Kenneth
S. Wilsbach, Commander, Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense
Region, Alaskan Command, Eleventh Air Force, provided Army-
Alaska update.
MAJOR GENERAL MARK O'NEIL, Commanding General
U.S. Army-Alaska (USARAK)
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER), Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided update on U.S. Army Alaska.
REAR ADMIRAL MICHAEL MCALLISTER, Commander
Seventeenth U.S. Coast Guard District
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided a Coast Guard Alaska update.
CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT PAUL NELSON
Seventeenth U.S. Coast Guard District
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Added comments to Coast Guard update.
ACTION NARRATIVE
11:34:55 AM
CO-CHAIR MIA COSTELLO called the Joint Armed Services Committee
meeting to order at 11:34 a.m. Present at the call to order were
Senators MacKinnon, Coghill, Wielechowski, Kelly, and Co-Chair
Costello; Representatives Zulkosky, Reinbold, Tarr, LeDoux, and
Co-chair Kawasaki. Public members present were Tim Jones from
Fairbanks, Jerry Beasley from Juneau, and Nelson Angapak from
Anchorage,
^Armed Services Briefings:
ARMED SERVICES BRIEFINGS:
CO-CHAIR COSTELLO asked members to introduce themselves and said
that the committee would then take up the Joint Armed Services
briefing and update. She welcomed Major General Laurel J. Hummel
to the table and reviewed her biography.
11:37:00 AM
MAJOR GENERAL LAUREL J. HUMMEL, Adjutant General, Alaska
National Guard, Commissioner, Department of Military and
Veterans Affairs (DMVA), Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER),
Alaska, thanked the committee for the opportunity to brief them
on activities, hopes, and concerns of the military commands
serving people in Alaska. She said Alaska statute directs the
Adjutant General as the official liaison between the State of
Alaska and all active military serving there.
One of her responsibilities is to coordinate with all military
components to ensure unity of effort on items of importance to
the state from vetting candidates for the next civilian aide to
the Secretary of the Army to integrating realistic homeland
defense training with domestic emergency responses. There is
tremendous benefit to Alaska when the active component and the
Alaska-Organized militia work together. Teamwork and a sense of
common purpose are the touch stones for the military in Alaska.
And there isn't a more committed team of commanding officers
than the four flag officers present or represented here today.
For the sake of protocol, General Hummel said she would provide
an introduction. She said Lieutenant General Kenneth S. Wilsbach
wears three hats: Commander of the Alaskan North American
Aerospace Defense Region, the Alaska Command, and Eleventh Air
Force, which has force structure spread across Alaska, Hawaii,
and Guam. He is in Australia today, but will be represented by
his Chief of Staff, Colonel Cory Mendenhall.
11:41:58 AM
COLONEL CORY MENDENHALL, Joint Headquarters, U.S. Army, Juneau,
Alaska, said today he was stepping in for Lieutenant General
Kenneth S. Wilsbach, Commander, Alaskan North American Aerospace
Defense Region, Alaskan Command, Eleventh Air Force, who sends
his regards. He was called out of state by the Chief of Staff of
the Air Force.
COLONEL MENDENHALL said he was wearing purple today, because it
is the color that signifies their joint headquarters where he
represents the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force. He
expressed their appreciation for the support of the legislature,
the Governor, civic leaders, and the communities to the military
living in Alaska. They could not execute their day-to-day
mission without the exceptional support of the Alaska National
Guard, U.S. Army Alaska, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Coast Guard, and
their interagency partners.
COLONEL MENDENHALL said he will highlight several topics he
discussed with the Vice President during his visit to
headquarters in February: where they are today in a changing
environment, highlighting what the military men and women and
civilian team mates have accomplished in 2017, and provide a
look at where they are headed with military construction,
building capacity, and capability to project power and defend
the homeland.
11:44:51 AM
Slide 3 illustrated the strategic importance of Alaska to the
defense of the nation. Today most people view the United States
from a flat map and Alaska is a small dot in the upper left-hand
corner. Most media attention goes to the Lower 48 which pretty
much distorts the importance and size of Alaska. The world is
round and when the globe is tilted, putting the North Pole at
center, Alaska is singularly as close or closer to all major
capitals in the northern hemisphere. Thus, Alaska provides the
U.S. the ability to respond to key locations in the Pacific,
Europe, and the Middle East faster than any military base in the
Lower 48. It takes approximately 9.5 hours to reach any of them.
The importance of Alaska will continue to grow as the Arctic
evolves and human activity increases there.
11:46:15 AM
COLONEL MENDENHALL said several trends are happening in the
Arctic: melting ice, competition for natural resources,
increasing Russian military activity, and China's influence.
These are monitored very closely. They also recognize the
reality of climate change.
Interest in the Arctic can lead to more friction and higher
probability of human error in conflict, he said. Reduced ice is
opening sea routes, easing navigation, and increasing commerce
with access to resources and tourism. In 2017, the first Chinese
research ship sailed through the Northwest Passage from Shanghai
to New York, cutting seven days off the trip if they were
sailing through the Suez Canal.
Russia is turning their northern sea route into a seafaring toll
road charging for contracted ice breaker support and has a fleet
of 41 icebreakers. This route cuts 14,000 miles off
transportation. In August 2017, a natural gas carrier sailed
from Norway to South Korea in 6.5 days through the Passage.
COLONEL MENDENHALL said another picture on slide 4 outlined the
overlapping boundaries between countries in the Arctic. Russia's
interest there stems from the fact that 20 percent of their GDP
is generated in the Arctic compared to less than 1 percent for
the U.S.
China continues to show interest in the Arctic with investments
in mining companies in Greenland and asserts itself as a near-
Arctic state. Thankfully, any disputes over the claims have been
done diplomatically, so far. A lower-right graphic depicts a
disturbing trend of Russia's in establishing new and
refurbishing 15 Arctic bases that the joint command watches very
closely. Expansion of Russian military capabilities on their
East Coast is a top concern for his commander.
He said Department of Defense (DOD) objectives remain assuring
security, supporting safety, and being able to respond to a wide
range of challenges and contingencies. To meet these objectives,
smart investments in infrastructure and capabilities need to be
made in Alaska.
11:49:45 AM
COLONEL MENDENHALL said slide 5 provides perspective on how big
Alaska is compared to the Lower 48. DOD spends $1.5 billion in
the state per year and federal spending constitutes about 18
percent of the total state economy. While the total active force
stationed in Alaska is small, it is significant when considering
the total state population is just above 700,000. In short,
roughly 20 percent of Alaskans have personal ties to the
military, something they are very proud of.
11:50:11 AM
COLONEL CORY MENDENHALL said the Joint Pacific Alaska Range
Complex (JPARC) at 67,000 square miles is the largest and
absolute best training range in the U.S. It hosts year-round
exercises and readiness training in air, land, and maritime
domains. It provides the space to really demonstrate the
capabilities of the most advanced U.S. military systems, like
the fifth-generation fighter, the F-22, and the F-35. Continued
support for the JPARC is important to ensure the military
remains trained and ready.
11:51:04 AM
He said the headquarters plans, prepares, and executes a host of
joint and service-specific key military exercises. Some of the
more prominent ones are Vigilant Shield (NORAD and USNORTHCOM),
in Colorado Springs that is an annual homeland defense command
post exercise (slide 7). This is normally done every
September/October.
11:51:46 AM
Arctic Edge (USNORTHCOM), a biennial homeland defense exercise,
was just completed for the first time in Alaska (March 12-23).
It went extremely well with 1500 marines, special operation
forces, sailors, and soldiers from all over Alaska supporting
the exercise to validate and refine mission requirements.
Additionally, they hosted a Distinguished Visitor Day from
Fairbanks down to Fort Greely on one of the range complexes. The
planning for Arctic Edge 2020 has started. Observers from the
United Kingdom and Canada participated.
11:53:51 AM
RED FLAG-Alaska (USAF) had 14 coalition and international
partners participate in three exercises in 2017. Four exercises
are scheduled here for 2018, starting in May.
Northern Edge (USPACOM) is a U.S.-specific command out of
Hawaii, a biennial exercise - joint air/land/sea - in the Gulf
of Alaska. There were about 6,000 participants un 2018 and the
same number is expected for Northern Edge 2019.
11:54:50 AM
COLONEL MENDENHALL said one of the highlights of 2017 was the US
Air Force Arctic Security Expedition in September where 16 US
Air Force general officers and Senator Sullivan flew to
Fairbanks and held discussions on Arctic awareness and
highlighted challenges of operating in the Arctic. Other
briefings were held in other villages and Greenland. This helped
inform what the Air Force is working on in their Arctic
strategy.
11:55:44 AM
He said the Arctic Maritime Symposium headquarters is
spearheading an effort to better understand Naval operations in
the Arctic and participated in several events in the Lower 48
including a recent table-top exercise in Juneau with the U.S.
Coast Guard and Navy partners. They will be hosting an Arctic
Maritime Symposium in Anchorage in August that will include
Naval personnel from Norfolk, Virginia.
Operation Colony Glacier collected over 14,000 pounds of debris
and recovered 37 of the 52 passenger and crew member remains and
will be back out on the ice in June.
COLONEL MENDENHALL said the Rescue Coordination Center is
another joint military and interagency success that has resulted
in saving 22 lives since last April.
11:57:30 AM
Alaska NORAD Regional work missions (slide 9) is a 24/7
awareness and response capability ready to deter threats. This
mission cannot be overstated given the strategic location of
Alaska and emerging challenges in the Arctic. Over the last 11
years, they have anywhere between zero and 15 intercepts a year
and have had six intercepts so far this year.
COLONEL MENDENHALL said their coalition with Canada provides
early warning and defense to North America. There are 15 radar
sites and air space control is provided by the 176 Air Defense
Squadron from the Alaska National Guard, F-11s at JBER, and
Eielson's E3AWAX and KC135 tankers. They positively identify and
intercept all aircraft that enter in the U.S. Air Defense
Identification Zone (ADIZ). Due to the size of ADIZ, the
time/distance to intercept, and wanting to remain unpredictable
to adversaries, they do not intercept every unknown aircraft.
However, Russia can launch aircraft and enter the ADIZ within
about 30-45 minutes, and that is watched very closely.
11:59:06 AM
He said this year will mark the 60th Anniversary of North
American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) in Colorado and the
partnership between the U.S. and Canada. He highlighted that
their FY18 military construction includes creating missile field
number four and adding 20 ground-based interceptor missiles at
Fort Greely at a cost of $20 million.
In addition, $169 million has been committed and approved in
FY18 for the F-35 to be at Eielson Air Force Base. Fifty-four
aircraft will arrive between 2020 and 2022, making Alaska the
only location worldwide with over 100 fifth-generation fighters
capable of strategic air power throughout the northern
hemisphere. The bottom line is that the Department of Defense
continues making strong investments in Alaska's infrastructure.
12:00:05 PM
Slide 11, the takeaway slide: Their number-one priority - has
always been and will not change - the defense of our homeland
and its citizens. The U.S. military is the best-trained, led,
and equipped force in the world. Second, their relationships
with local civil authorities and interagency partners is very
strong.
COLONEL MENDENHALL said the Arctic remains one of the
commander's top priorities and they remain committed to working
collaboratively with allies and partners to promote a balanced
approach to improving security there.
12:01:31 PM
Slide 12 thanked the legislature for its support of the
military.
CO-CHAIR COSTELLO recognized Senator Showers, and
Representatives Spohnholz and Easton.
12:02:42 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked what the state should be prepared
for.
COLONEL MENDENHALL answered that right now the biggest thing on
the horizon is a $50-million allocation for refurbishing
facilities at King Salmon. They are also focusing on Eielson Air
Force Base with the 54 fighters and the 3500 people that will be
stationed there. On-base facilities are maxed out and options
for moving people off-base are being considered.
12:04:06 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TARR asked what Alaska's role is in terms of
defense in the Arctic and climate change.
COLONEL MENDENHALL deferred comment on the state's defense to
General Hummel adding that they all work together as an integral
part of the defense of Alaska and the homeland.
REPRESENTATIVE TARR asked how many icebreakers the U.S. has
compared to Russia's has 41.
COLONEL MENDENHALL replied that the Navy doesn't have any
icebreakers, but Admiral McAllister could probably talk a little
bit about the Coast Guard's capabilities. He stated, "Obviously,
our U.S. Coast Guard is the best in the world." He added that
the U.S. Marine Corps is taking a very hard look at training in
the Arctic. That is why 370-plus Marines were here during Arctic
Edge. The commandant of the Marine Corp is taking a very keen
interest in the Arctic and he wants the Marines to participate
more.
12:06:21 PM
At ease
12:08:24 PM
Co-CHAIR COSTELLO called the meeting back to order and invited
the next presenter, Major General Mark O'Neil.
MAJOR GENERAL MARK O'NEIL, Commanding General, U.S. Army-Alaska,
said it was an honor to be here today representing over 11,000
team mates of U.S. Army Alaska. He is proud to be part of such a
great team of Arctic Warriors, Department of Army civilians, and
their families, whose selfless dedication to duty never ceases
to amaze him. He is equally proud to serve in command in Alaska,
home of the northern-most combat brigades and supporting forces
that truly understand the meaning of "Arctic Tough."
12:09:42 PM
The cover slide of his presentation was a picture of the
Airborne Brigade conducting Spartan Pegasus, a defense support
of civil authorities training exercise near Deadhorse last
winter, where the temperature on the ground was -60 F. The
Arctic Tough soldiers are equipped and trained to not only
survive but thrive and succeed in these extreme conditions. They
are ready to deploy, fight and win anywhere on the globe.
MAJOR GENERAL O'NEIL said their mission is clear: to provide
trained and ready forces in support of worldwide unified land
operations, which include supporting the U.S. Army Pacific
Command and the U.S. Army Pacific in the Indo-Asia Pacific
Region. It also consists of being prepared to respond for
contingencies at home in defense support of civil authorities'
role and homeland defense. To do this mission, an array of
forces is assigned to U.S. Army-Alaska that are well supported
and backed by the leadership of America's First Corps
headquartered out of Joint Base Lewis McCord in Washington State
and the U.S. Army Pacific in Hawaii out of Fort Shafter.
MAJOR GENERAL O'NEIL said they also have a relationship with the
Alaskan Command. When it comes to missions with the Alaska Joint
Operations area, they work very closely with the Alaskan Command
staff to ensure they are ready to respond to missions in the
homeland. The recent Arctic Edge exercise was a great example of
how joint operations are conducted.
12:12:18 PM
He said readiness is the Army's number-one priority (slide 3).
This means trained, combat-ready, dependable, rapidly deployable
teams of skilled, tough, alert, and adaptable warriors who act
with disciplined initiative and lead by personal example at all
levels. These leaders clearly articulate the intent and build
trust within the organizations and empower subordinates. Where
fighting is their focus they employ all the tools and resources
to be ready at a moment's notice to engage and destroy the
enemy. He stated:
In short, U.S. Army Alaska is a true Arctic tough team
of soldiers and families. We are privileged to live in
Alaska and are proud to serve as America's Arctic
Warriors. We are grateful for the support of our local
communities, our local, state, and national leaders,
and are dedicated civilian workforce in world class
installations. We stand ready to answer our nation's
call anywhere, anytime.
12:13:25 PM
Slide 4 displayed the priorities that drive their organization:
-Building readiness and strong relationships
-Developing Leaders
-Strengthening the Profession of Arms
MAJOR GENERAL O'NEIL said in a world where the drivers of
instability continue to pose a threat to peace and prosperity,
being prepared is their focus. Readiness is their number-one
priority. Each warrior has the responsibility to be personally
prepared and aware of their surroundings 24/7, 365/days/year and
to interact with community leaders whenever possible. It's best
to go into a situation knowing the leaders. Developing leaders
at every level is important to their ability to operate and
succeed.
He said U.S. Senator Sullivan is right when he calls JPARC the
Crown Jewel of the DOD training environment. JPARC also enables
them to train as a joint force, as was demonstrated by the
recent Arctic Edge exercise with allies and multi-national
partners; add to this the Northern Warfare Training Center
(NWTC) where leaders are taught from across the DOD to thrive in
the cold and mountainous terrain.
12:15:40 PM
(Slide 5) A testament to the quality of the soldiers is how
often they are called to duty around the world; while they are
assigned to U.S. Pacific Command, their unique capabilities are
sought by many regions around the globe. Specific
accomplishments include the Airborne Brigade starting the year
with Operation Arctic Pegasus at Deadhorse. This was followed by
soldiers from both brigades participating in Pacific Pathways
where soldiers trained with allies in countries around the
Pacific Rim that include Australia, Singapore, Thailand, and
Japan. During this time, the Airborne Brigade deployed a good
portion of their unit to Afghanistan where U.S. soldiers
continue to do important work to train and assist the Afghan
security forces.
MAJOR GENERAL O'NEIL said: "Let us all not forget, as we are
here today, we have U.S. Army Alaska soldiers deployed in harm's
way protecting our freedoms."
12:17:31 PM
In upcoming events for U.S. Army Alaska, a portion of the
Airborne Brigade will participate in a joint warfighter
assessment at Yakima Training Grounds in Washington State and at
Fort Bliss, Texas. This exercise is an assessment of
capabilities and refinement of requirements while looking at the
art of the possible for future operations.
In May, the First Striker Brigade will train with the Canadian
Army in an exercise called Maple Resolve. It will help certify
the Canadian Army on some of their capabilities and that
exercise will take place at Wainwright, Canada.
The Airborne Brigade that redeploys early this summer and after
a period of well-deserved leave, will pick up a rigorous home
station training and readiness glide path to get ready and to be
ready.
June will bring the yearly exercise Arctic Aurora back to
Alaska. This is a bilateral training exercise with the Japanese
Ground Self Defense Force. During the summer months, a portion
of the Army Aviation Forces stationed in Alaska will participate
in the Pacific Pathways where they will train across the Pacific
theaters in countries including Australia, Japan, Thailand,
Guam, and in the Philippines.
12:18:35 PM
In the fall, they will conduct Arctic Anvil, which is a major
home station training event preparing the First Striker Brigade
to deploy for national training center rotation scheduled in the
spring of 2019.
12:19:09 PM
MAJOR GENERAL O'NEIL concluded saying the Arctic Warriors are
very busy training and always preparing to ensure the safety and
protection of our country and its interests. They are blessed to
be afforded this great opportunity to train in the Great State
of Alaska with its unmatched joint training environment and
backed by the strong relationships with Alaska and its people.
He thanked the committee for allowing him to tell them about the
Arctic Warriors and said he was available for questions.
12:19:14 PM
REPRESENTATIVE REINBOLD asked the number of Alaskans who are now
deployed as well as nationwide.
MAJOR GENERAL O'NEIL replied that he didn't want to guess and
could get those numbers to her, but folks are in harm's way from
this state and across all the services.
12:19:55 PM
REPRESENTATIVE REINBOLD asked if there are any deficiencies in
equipment or supplies, or anything they are seeking from the
federal government or from Alaska.
MAJOR GENERAL O'NEIL replied that they are working with the Army
and senior leadership and are looking for the replacement for
support vehicle for the squad. The Army has a recognized
operational need statement and is going through a procurement
process to figure out what will be the successor of that
program. It's bigger than an Army problem and deals across the
entire joint force.
12:20:57 PM
Another challenge they are working on with the Tenth Mountain
Division is getting protective clothing for extreme cold weather
operations. The Army, senior leaders, and the joint team will
speak with one voice to get what is needed. Hopefully, they can
procure collectively and get that out to their formations.
Upgrades will be accepted as they come down the road. He
wouldn't classify them as deficiencies, but they trying to
better equip soldiers so they can be better prepared to survive
and thrive in extreme cold weather environments.
CO-CHAIR COSTELLO asked what happens following a training
exercise. Is there a debriefing process?
MAJOR GENERAL O'NEIL answered for every training event they go
through the preparation phase, certify and validate leaders, go
through the training repetition, and at the end the most
important this is having an after-action review focusing on
shortfalls and deficiencies. The most important thing out of an
after-action report is how to go ahead and improve and make
things better. It is a cyclic process depending on what is on
the horizon and what the senior leaders' priorities are. New
leaders are being brought into Alaska and told what the
expectations and risks are, and then they are to empower young,
talented, non-commissioned officers and junior enlisted people
to find other creative ways to accomplish the mission.
REPRESENTATIVE TARR asked for an update on the JBER runway and
if there is any discussion of funding at federal level.
MAJOR GENERAL O'NEIL answered that he would default to Cory
Mendenhall and he would get back to her with the answer.
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX thanked them for their presentation and
service. She asked what the Alaska legislature can do to support
them that they aren't getting right now.
MAJOR GENERAL O'NEIL answered that he couldn't think of any. He
is grateful for the engagements with legislators and
delegations.
12:25:28 PM
CO-CHAIR COSTELLO thanked him for his efforts in fostering the
next generation of leaders.
12:25:43 PM
At ease
12:29:34 PM
CO-CHAIR COSTELLO called the meeting back to order and invited
the next presenter, Rear Admiral Michael McAllister, to the
table.
REAR ADMIRAL MICHAEL MCALLISTER, Commander, Seventeenth U.S.
Coast Guard District, Juneau, Alaska, said he was honored and
privileged to be here today with the others to provide them with
an update. He introduced Lieutenant Evonne Manning and said when
she is not busy keeping him focused she is an expert in
fisheries enforcement and management. She helps on an everyday
basis to sustain one of the best managed fisheries programs in
the entire country and arguably around the world.
REAR ADMIRAL MCALLISTER said his intention today was to go over
their missions and where there are Coast Guard people throughout
the state and then focus a little bit on Arctic activities and
international engagement and cooperation, all of which bear upon
the national security of the United States and Alaska's state
interests.
He said the Coast Guard Mission is generally speaking: try to
prevent bad things from happening on or to the water and when
despite their best efforts, bad things do happen they are
prepared to respond to those events.
On the prevention side are: commercial vessel safety and
security, water front facility safety and security, aids to
navigation, ice breaking boating safety and so forth. However,
the Coast Guard is best known for their response side: search
and rescue, oil and chemical spill response, fisheries law
enforcement in Alaska, and border and port security.
REAR ADMIRAL MCALLISTER said Coast Guard defense operations are
fairly unique in that they are simultaneous and at all-times a
civil authority that has law enforcement authority and an
organization under Title 10 of the U.S. Code. So, they conduct
defense operations in concert with their partners. It is a
seamless transition from civil to military capabilities.
Alaska's Seventeenth Coast Guard District has about 2,500 Coast
Guard members, a permanent footprint in 11 different locations,
and four forward-operating locations (places assets are moved to
during various times of the year for surge operations). For
example, Cold Bay is a forward-operating location during the
height of the crabbing season in the Bering Sea and that
provides rapid search and rescue response there.
12:32:33 PM
REAR ADMIRAL MCALLISTER said what slide 3 doesn't show is that
they are the recipients of a lot of deployed capability from
other places around the Coast Guard (CG). For example, today CG
Cutter Stratton is conducting fisheries law enforcement and
commercial fishery vessel safety boardings in the Bering Sea.
They cover about 4 million square miles of water; most of it is
part of the United States' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). It is
more area than the rest of the U.S. combined. The EEZ is the
area where the United States manages its resources whether it be
oil and gas, minerals, or fisheries and protects its
sovereignty. They also have an international boundary: two with
Canada and one with Russia. He would describe some of those
activities in a moment.
12:33:58 PM
REAR ADMIRAL MCALLISTER said their cause for action for having a
significant presence in the Arctic is unchanged. The melting ice
provides more access to those who would use the opening oceans.
For example, traffic through the Bering Strait and the U.S.
Arctic is up 140 percent from 2008 to 2016. There was a small
decline in 2016/17; a lot of it related to decreasing
construction (military and civil capabilities) along the Russian
Northern Sea Route. The long-term outlook is for a doubling to
quadrupling increase in traffic depending on one's assumptions
on oil and gas extraction, container shipping, and other
factors.
He noted that last summer the M/V Crystal Serenity made her
second successful transit through the U.S. Arctic and the
Northwest Passage with 1,400 passengers and crew. She was the
first large cruise ship to do that. She will not make that
transit next year, but the cruise line as well as many others
are building purpose-built vessels for northern cruises; so,
smaller ships but increasing interest in adventure tourism.
REAR ADMIRAL MCALLISTER said Colonel Mendenhall mentioned
increased economic activity in the Russian Northern Sea Route,
because of LNG activity, and the new LNG icebreaking capable
carriers made a record transit through the Northern Sea Route.
It can break ice in both directions. So, they anticipate seeing
more year-round activity through the Bering Strait, which is of
interest to the U.S. as a result of Russia's increasing
capability to move LNG and other commodities year-round through
there.
Research continues at high levels in the Arctic; a lot of it
focused on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) of the U.S. and
other nations that are preparing to make claims under the United
Nations Convention Law of the Sea, which allows nations to claim
beyond their EEZ if they can show a historical tie to the Outer
Continental Shelf. Research vessels from all nations with Arctic
interests are seen on a routine basis near Alaska.
REAR ADMIRAL MCALLISTER said they continued to see a combination
of military activity and nation-state involvement in the Arctic
and coming through the Bering Strait last year. The result of
all this is increased Coast Guard demand for things like search
and rescue, readiness for oil spill response, and having a
sovereign presence for much of the year. He said they mount
sizable Arctic operations yearly to the point of having year-
round capability of deploying in the Arctic.
12:38:49 PM
REAR ADMIRAL MCALLISTER said they do a variety of activities
under this operation: training, inspections, exercises with
local communities. They do patrols and are staged to do search
and rescue, oil spill response, science support, and other
things. They did 26 search and rescue cases last year and saved
20 lives above the Arctic Circle based out of their forward-
operating location in Kotzebue.
Their logistics are greatly facilitated by other organizations,
particularly the Eleventh Air Force ALCOM and the Alaska
National Guard that provides "heavy lift" for getting to some of
the northern communities. They also lease a hanger in Kotzebue,
which has been their staging point for helicopters for search
and rescue and other purposes.
12:42:11 PM
REAR ADMIRAL MCALLISTER said the commandant of the Coast Guard
remains very much committed to providing the right resources to
be able to expand into this new operating area and he feels
fortunate to get many more resources than many of his
counterparts. He showed more pictures of Arctic operations
including a medivac situation off the Chinese research ship,
joint training with local communities on boating safety and oil
spill response, and joint training with the Royal Canadian Navy.
He showed a picture from the bridge of the Coast Guard Cutter
Maple stationed in Sitka. She had to go to the East Coast and
was sent through the Northwest Passage. She was the first Coast
Guard non-icebreaker to make the transit in 60 years and
celebrated the 60-year anniversary of the first-time deep draft
ships went through the Northwest Passage. Three Coast Guard
ships and one Canadian Icebreaker made that first trip and did
many of the soundings that allow commerce throughout that route.
The Coast Guard also does a number of things on research and
development in oil spill technology and has a dive program.
12:43:25 PM
REAR ADMIRAL MCALLISTER said the Coast Guard is prioritizing
Alaska for new capabilities: many replacements for existing
assets that may be 30, 40, or 50 or more years old. But the new
capabilities are leaps and bounds ahead of where they are today.
As an example, Air Station Kodiak will see new C130s over the
next two years: five new aircraft to replace the H models. They
have longer range, greater speed, and can be operated more
economically. They have two fast-response cutters stationed in
Southeast and expect four more in the coming years. Those are
great new capabilities as a significant portion of their time is
focused on fisheries management. New offshore patrol cutters
will go to Kodiak. Those are now in the final stages of going
out to contract. They have national security cutters; the
Stratton is under way today in the Bering Sea.
The good news on icebreakers is that the President's request for
2018/19 includes money for a replacement icebreaker. The Coast
Guard has two icebreakers in its inventory; sometimes they say
one and a half - the half referring to either the fact that one
of them is 50 years old and can't steam for very long without
breaking down and most of the replacement parts don't exist
anymore. That would be the first one replaced. The other
reference to half an icebreaker is they actually have one
icebreaker in inventory (the 50-year old one); but they also
have a medium icebreaker, the Coast Guard Cutter Healy, which
routinely patrols the Alaskan waters, primarily in support of
science and other types of research. The Coast Guard has gone
on records as needing six icebreakers in the nation, but you
have to start with one.
12:44:50 PM
REAR ADMIRAL MCALLISTER said the Coast Guard was provided some
money by Congress to kick-start a program to use both ship-
board, unmanned area vehicles, and land-based UAVs to provide
"maritime domain awareness" of Alaskan EEZ.
On the International Cooperation front, as Colonel Mendenhall
appropriately said, the Arctic is an area of potential conflict
or potential miscalculation. Rear Admiral McAllister offered
that it is also an area where they see a high level of
cooperation amongst Arctic nations and nations that have an
interest in the Arctic. As an example, for search and rescue
they have near-daily cooperation with their counterparts in
Russia, Canada, Japan, and other nations to carry out everyday
missions.
He thanked Alaska Command and the U.S. Northern Command for
doing the first joint search and rescue exercise (under the new
Search and Rescue agreement) last year called Arctic Chinook,
under the new Arctic Council. They exercised their ability to
take cruise ship passengers off a stricken ship and provided
appropriate care for them.
On the law enforcement side, they coordinate with their
counterparts with the Russian Coast Guard on the maritime
boundary line between the U.S. and Russia and on illegal,
unreported, and under regulated fisheries. For an example of how
that cooperation has improved fisheries management, in the last
14 months, eight vessels were suspect between the two nations
required joint operations; five of those vessels were eventually
seized, detained, or given violations; and just those five
vessels alone accounted for 10,000 tons of fish and crab that
was illegally caught.
REAR ADMIRAL MCALLISTER said the Coast Guard also manages
waterways both in state and federal waters. They have created
safe shipping routing zones, which help ships to avoid conflicts
with subsistence fishing activities and staying far enough
offshore from Alaska communities so that if there would be an
oil spill they would have time to respond. The Coast Guard
proposed this scheme to the International Maritime Organization
(IMO) with the Russians. Most of it was accepted in the IMO and
it will now become part of the global framework for managing
ship traffic through the Bering Strait.
12:48:41 PM
He said two Coast Guard cutters are stationed in Alaska and will
be deploying overseas this summer. One of them, the Coast Guard
Cutter Spar, will be doing multi-national training operations
with Japan, South Korea, and potentially other Northern Pacific
nations. The Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley, in Kodiak, will be
doing multi-national, high-seas fisheries operations with
Canada, Russia, China, South Korea, and Japan (the nations that
cooperate in international fisheries in the North Pacific).
REAR ADMIRAL MCALLISTER said community engagement is a core
element of Coast Guard strategy. All the way from the Arctic to
Southeast Alaska, they try to involve communities in maritime
safety and security, while getting some of the traditional
knowledge that comes out of the Alaska Native communities, in
particular. These subjects include oil spill training, mass
rescue planning and exercises, education on things like cold
weather and cold-water survival, ice rescue, and maritime domain
awareness. The Coast Guard provides briefings on how to avoid
conflicts with subsistence activities, and a is proud partner of
the Kids Don't Float Campaign (training 3,000 kids last summer).
12:49:49 PM
Slide 10 concluded his presentation. He said the Coast Guard is
proud to serve in Alaska, and because they often work in small
communities becoming part of the fabric of Alaska, they are
positioned well to continue that service far into the future. He
thanked the committee for its support of Coast Guard men and
women around the state, as well as their fellow military
services.
12:50:08 PM
CO-CHAIR COSTELLO thanked him and asked for questions.
MR. ANGAPAK related that the Arctic is a center of activity
among nations and one of the most important things in
considering national security is food security and defending
resources. He reminded them that food can be used as a weapon in
warfare. He asked what the U.S. Armed Forces had done in terms
of protecting food security.
REAR ADMIRAL MCALLISTER responded that they often think about
national security in terms of food security particularly for the
coastal communities in Alaska and do a variety of things to
ensure it like ensuring that ship routing takes ships outside of
subsistence activity areas and that a ship is far enough
offshore that if it was stricken it wouldn't ground or spill oil
but yet no so far offshore that it becomes a safety problem for
the ship. They engage with local communities in things like oil
spill response training and along with the state DEC have
containers of oil spill response equipment in many communities
so that communities can act as their own first response while
the cavalry comes in with additional equipment. But just having
a presence in the Arctic to enforce against or intercept illegal
activities on a year-round or a near-year-round basis is very
important.
REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked what the Coast Guard's thinking is
on the necessity of having a second port aside from Kodiak. He
has heard Port Clarence identified as a potential port.
12:54:08 PM
REAR ADMIRAL MCALLISTER replied that most of the assets into the
Arctic are long endurance assets: large cutters with helicopters
on the back, icebreakers that can stay under way for two or
three months at a time. Right now, their approach is called "a
mobile seasonal presence." They take advantage of places like
Nome where they can get stores and provisions and provide the
opportunity for people to get off the ship.
But in the conversation about new infrastructure the Coast
Guard's position thus far is "if you build a port, we will use
it." He is not convinced another port is needed specifically for
the Coast Guard, but that may change.
CO-CHAIR COSTELLO recognized Representative Parish.
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY said coming from Tribal Health, she
wanted to thank the Coast Guard for having a strong presence in
rural communities in terms of the Kids Don't Float program and
water safety on the open ocean as well as on rivers.
SENATOR SHOWER said he knows that the U.S. Navy has been
interested in another port and that one would be needed at some
point from a national security perspective. It segues into other
things like food security and the economic viability of taking
gas and oil into other areas. He asked how many icebreakers the
United States needs.
REAR ADMIRAL MCALLISTER answered that the Navy is doing an
exercise with submarines, but it's a different challenge on the
surface. He encourages and is willing to facilitate any sort of
Navy presence here that the DOD and U.S. Northern Command feels
is appropriate. Six icebreakers are needed: three heavies and
three mediums. They do work in both Antarctica and the Arctic
and that would ensure year-round access to both locations and
appropriate backup, because if an icebreaker gets stuck or
breaks down, another icebreaker is needed to provide search and
rescue or other capabilities.
CHAIR COSTELLO asked how he balances his budget for law
enforcement and military priorities with the search and rescue
operations.
REAR ADMIRAL MCALLISTER replied that the federal budget process
has a different budgeting system for the Coast Guard than for
other military services that are under the Department of Defense
budget. The Coast Guard is in the Department of Homeland
Security and the majority of its funding is considered non-
defense, non-security funding. So, they are not seeing quite the
same level of increases in funding as the other services.
He explained that on any given day, 10-20 percent of Coast Guard
assets are committed to commanders around the globe, but 4
percent of their budget comes from the DOD. Their commandant has
been very vocal about saying they have readiness issues and the
Coast Guard would be well deserved to get an increased budget.
1:00:14 PM
Search and rescue is probably the number one mission of the
Coast Guard and comes off the top in terms of budget priorities
in determining where to place Coast Guard cutters. Everything
else flows from there as second or third priority missions.
REPRESENTATIVE REINBOLD asked if they have the capability to
respond to a large disaster.
REAR ADMIRAL MCALLISTER replied that he has the right types of
assets and people who are skilled and can respond. He has good
partnerships in place with state agencies, the DOD, and other
federal partners and local organizations. So, responding would
be a team effort. Time is not their friend, he said; a cruise
ship incident along the North Slope would be very tough to get
to in a timely fashion to meet public expectations and to get
everybody off a ship safely. He continues to advocate for the
"right amount of stuff" in the Coast Guard inventory to increase
his readiness.
REPRESENTATIVE REINBOLD asked what the relationship is like with
China in terms of national security aside from the AKLNG
situation and fisheries.
REAR ADMIRAL MCALLISTER answered that the Coast Guard sees
amongst its many missions including fisheries, oil spill
response, and search and rescue that spirit of cooperation, even
with China. For example, the Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley will
be deployed this summer to a high seas fisheries operation and
will actually carry Chinese Coast Guard ship riders who will
have more authority than the U.S. Coast Guard does if they come
across a Chinese-flagged vessel, and they will likely do some
joint patrolling with Chinese Coast Guard vessels. The Chinese
have been forward leaning and cooperative on a variety of
maritime issues.
REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX said she lived in Kodiak for over 30 years
and wanted him to know that probably not one person living in
Kodiak does not have a friend or a relative who has been rescued
by the U.S. Coast Guard. You are heroes in that community and
many others, she said.
CO-CHAIR COSTELLO thanked him for his service and his
presentation.
1:05:24 PM
At ease
1:09:56 PM
CHAIR COSTELLO called the meeting back to order and welcomed
Major General Laurel Hummel to the table.
MAJOR GENERAL LAUREL HUMMEL, Commissioner, Department of
Military & Veterans Affairs(DMVA), Adjutant General, Alaska
National Guard, Juneau, Alaska, introduced her "battle buddy,"
her senior enlisted leader for the Alaska National Guard,
Command Chief, Master Sergeant Paul Nelson. Together they make
the joint command team for the Alaska National Guard. She would
discuss what the Alaska Organized militia has done over the past
year. One of her goals as the adjutant general is to leverage
all the capabilities and increase the capacity for all the
components of the organized militia which include the Alaska
Army Guard, the Air Guard, the Alaska Naval Militia, and the
Alaska State Defense Force.
Their mission is given to them in AS 26, but the organized
militia portion of the Department of Military & Veterans Affairs
(DMVA) is involved in every aspect of these mission statements
from deployments overseas to protecting the nation, to
responding to catastrophic natural disasters, assisting veterans
during the greatest time of need, and mentoring young people in
the Alaska Military Youth Academy.
1:12:04 PM
MAJOR GENERAL HUMMEL said leading a successful organization
begins with establishing a shared vision in common efforts
supported by core values. The DMVA vision outlines their four
major common lines of effort across the entire department.
1. Success in ongoing missions in support of the
active component and being ready to go to war is what
she means by achieving federal mission assurance.
2. Doing all they can within the DOD and Department of
Homeland Security, the nexus within she works to
promote a viable Arctic strategy.
3. Increasing our emergency management capacity across
the state.
4. Engage with Alaskan communities.
Everything they do as an organization within all the divisions
in DMVA directly supports one or more of these lines of effort,
she said. This focus makes them more efficient with their
people, equipment, and fiscal resources.
MAJOR GENERAL HUMMEL highlighted a couple of things they had
done since their last meeting: Last year, the C17 flip made big
headlines. This is when they essentially finalized the reversal
of the partnership they had with an active component and took
ownership of the C17 aircraft, which is a first in the entire
Air Force. So, this year the big new story for the Air Guard is
the arrival of the HC 130J (photo on slide 4), the Air Force's
newest and most capable search and rescue aircraft.
Another photo was of the Civil Support Team (CST) and some
National Guard forces that joined them from Washington and
Connecticut who were participating in an exercise in Valdez just
last month. They got a real-world request from the local
incident commander to assist in an emergency, a tanker truck
that had flipped over and was leaking diesel close to a salmon
stream. Her soldiers went from exercising and training mode to
real world mode seamlessly and assisted DEC in that incident.
MAJOR GENERAL HUMMEL noted in the bottom middle photo of their
civil engineers from the 168th Wing housed at Eielson Air Force
Base that were conducting their annual training in the country
of Latvia where they were building and repairing infrastructure
in a key North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-partner
country.
While the civil engineers were in Europe, the engineers from the
Army Guard continued to improve the runway at Old Harbor through
innovative readiness training (IRT) where military units conduct
their federal military training while at the same time executing
projects that benefit local communities. If constituents have
questions about this program, contact her and she will get them
to the IRT experts. It is their job to help guide their
communities through the application process.
1:15:33 PM
MAJOR GENERAL HUMMEL said the bottom right photo was taken from
Exercise Arctic Eagle, a ground breaking National Guard-led
exercise. This exercise was a "grand slam," she said, because it
fed all four of the lines of effort.
She turned the presentation over to Chief Master Sergeant Paul
Nelson who would update them on how they are working on
character development and growing the next generation of leaders
through their Ethical Fitness Program.
1:15:56 PM
CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT PAUL NELSON, said over the last two-and-a-
half years, the Alaska National Guard has continued to develop a
campaign and an action plan aimed at improving ethical decision-
making skills, as well as exploring the idea of strengthening
character among Guard members of all ranks and positions of
authority. Their strategic goal involves improving a culture,
which in turn has a positive impact on unit climate and
individual identity of Guard members.
He said the Alaska National Guard remains committed to swiftly
addressing specific instances of poor character and unethical
behavior using the tools provided to the commanders by military
regulation and Alaska statute, specifically the Alaska Code of
Military Justice.
With regards to professional development, instead of focusing on
the symptoms of poor character, the Alaska National Guard is
conducting numerous conferences and small group workshops that
are specifically designed to address the topic of ethical
behavior and improving positive character development among the
members. This program has gained national attention, and the
National Guard is planning on using it as a best practice around
the nation. They have also been working closely with the
Department of Army's Center for Army Profession and Ethics
(CAPE) to further operationalize the concept of character
development across the total Army force.
CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT NELSON said this leads to another
question: where to go next. The Alaska National Guard is
committed to fully integrating these concepts into their culture
for the long haul. In addition to their continued relationship
with CAPE they are currently planning on working with the
Department of the Air Force's Professional Airmen's Center of
Excellence (PACE) to further explore ways to expand and improve
their flagship program.
1:18:17 PM
In addition to that, he highlighted six members of the Alaska
National Guard seated behind him and said, "As a 33-year veteran
and a senior enlisted leader of the Alaska National Guard, these
warriors, they fill my heart with pride."
CO-CHAIR COSTELLO lead the room in applause for the warriors.
CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT NELSON emphasized their diversity in
thinking and skill sets: they range across numerous career
fields to include a pilot, military police and law enforcement,
personalist in human resources, medical technicians, and an
engineer. They stand with resolve and commitment of purpose.
"They are Alaska's sons and daughters and they truly are your
varsity team."
1:19:08 PM
MAJOR GENERAL HUMMEL next talked about Federal Mission Assurance
lines of effort (slide 6). She explained that the federal
portion of the organized militia - the Army and the Air National
Guard - continue to train, deploy, operate, and return home as
part of their federal mission status. Their operations span the
globe from Ice-X that is happening right now in the Arctic Ocean
to Deep Freeze in Antarctica, to Conquest in Mongolia, and
Northern Edge here at home. She works with her mission partners
on these exercises as previously described. This is a testament
to how integrated the total force is in Alaska.
She said their cargo aircraft continue to move people and
equipment around the world. Last year she joked that they always
have more personnel take off than land, because U.S. Army Alaska
insists on leaving while the plane is in air. That is still the
case, but this year they also distributed 11.5 million pounds of
aviation fuel, a large portion of that going to Lieutenant
General Wilsbach's very thirsty jets who prefer to refuel in
mid-air as opposed to on the ground. To put that number in
perspective, assuming the standard gas tanks on automobiles,
their 168th Wing refueled over 115,000 cars while in flight at
450 mph if cars could fly.
MAJOR GENERAL HUMMEL said in addition to supporting exercises
around the globe this past year, they deployed 295 (about 7
percent of their total force) of their soldiers and airmen into
harm's way in Southwest Asia in support of the nation's security
objectives. As always, the Alaska National Guard is not solely a
part-time outfit as evidenced by the list of 24/7 in-state
federal missions that they are working to keep Alaska safe. She
thanked the co-chairs for sponsoring their lunch and learn
yesterday where they talked about their space mission at Clear
Air Force Station and ground-based mid-course defense, the
Ground-based Missile Defense (GMD) mission out of Fort Greely
and would like to do it again next year.
1:21:40 PM
MAJOR GENERAL HUMMEL said Alaska is what makes the U.S. an
Arctic nation. To that end, their joint staff continue to ensure
that the interests of the National Guard and Alaska are taken
into account in DOD working groups charged with crafting policy
and identifying requirements for operations in the Arctic.
They continue to chair the National Guard Arctic Interest
Council, which now has 18 member-states that are engaged in
policy development, legislation, training, equipment
procurement, and sustainment.
1:22:32 PM
Emergency management is another line of effort (slide 8), she
said. The Alaska organized militia has both federal and state
missions, and a photo showed how involved 108 personnel were in
support of Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands
hurricane rescue and response. Before last hurricane season, the
National Guard was the only component of the organized militia
to conduct emergency response missions outside of Alaska. But
that changed last fall, because of the four Alsaka State Defense
Force soldiers deployed to Puerto Rico to operate emergency
communications equipment alongside their Guardsmen. This is the
first effort deployment of state militia into another state to
assist in emergencies. Clearly the steps they have taken to
reorganize and modernize the state defense force are really
paying dividends.
She noted a photo of Sergeant Andrew of Bethel who traveled to
Quithluk to recognize Sergeant First Class Samuel Jackson's
military service. Sergeant Jackson started in the Alaska
Territorial Guard and he ended his service with retirement from
the Alaska Army National Guard. This is one of seven retirement
ceremonies they have conducted around the Yukon-Kuskokwim and
Southwest Alaska where they determined there were members of the
Guard who retired but did not have a retirement ceremony and
were not honored in a fitting way. Another photo was of Major
Johnny Evan who had previously been discharged from the Guard
with no retirement benefits. He thought he might actually have
qualified for retirement and contacted them. Personnel staff
found that he had accumulated enough points to qualify for a
traditional reserve retirement. His records were updated, and
the retirement ceremony was held at AFN last October. The really
great news story is that this happened just prior to his 60th
birthday, and that is the golden day that reserve Guards start
to draw retirement benefits.
MAJOR GENERAL HUMMEL said they are continuing to reach out
across the state to find all former Guardsmen and ensure that
they receive every award and benefit they have earned. She
pointed out another photo of the 61st year of Operation Santa,
where a plane load of elves and associated goodies went to St.
Michael.
1:25:58 PM
MAJOR GENERAL HUMMEL said she has mentioned she is very proud of
Arctic Eagle, because it is a National Guard Bureau-sponsored
special focus exercise. The National Guard Arctic Interest
Council and the Alaska National Guard joint staff did the heavy
lifting to develop it, resource it, and to execute it (slide
10). The exercise recently concluded, and it successfully
demonstrated the Guard's ability to conduct a joint interagency,
intergovernmental, multi-national operation. She said 1,227
individuals representing 76 organizations including USRAC,
ALCOM, the 17th District U.S. Coast Guard, 14 states' National
Guards, and Canada participated in an exercise scenario that was
based on a foreign radio-active satellite that fell to Earth in
Valdez. In that scenario, it crashed releasing toxic chemicals
and radioactivity. Simultaneously, the exercise had a
cyberattack that compromised their communications networks. A
complex scenario of this scope tested many of their planning and
training muscles along with the abilities of all their mission
partners to work together in an emergency.
1:27:31 PM
Her closing slide 11 was a "powerful picture" of the hands of
Sergeant First Class Jackson holding his Alaska Territorial
Guard service medal.
MAJOR GENERAL HUMMEL closed saying she hopes "they have
continued confidence in the fitness and the readiness of the men
and women in your Guard and know that in your greatest time of
need, we will fulfill the Guard's moto of always ready, always
there."
For the record, Major General Hummel also stated: "When I retire
from the Army again, I want to join the Coast Guard."
CO-CHAIR COSTELLO thanked her for her presentation and said she
was forgiven for bragging.
1:29:51 PM
MR. ANGAPAK thanked Rear Admiral McAllister for addressing the
readiness of the Coast Guard in rural Alaska. However, he urged
them to think about what would happen in large cities, like
Anchorage, in the event of a natural disaster or a
transportation derailment happens on land. Is our military
prepared to deal with that kind of natural emergency in so far
as food security in urban settings?
MAJOR GENERAL HUMMEL responded first by thanking him for his
service as a Viet Nam veteran and as the brother and son of a
veteran. His question goes to heart of some of what they train
and exercised to, which is restoring critical infrastructure and
restoring, if need be, civil order in times of distress,
reopening ports, and getting assistance to reopen airports and
airfields.
1:32:19 PM
She said the heart of his question is about food security all
across the state including changes in the Arctic, and she is
proud to say that the DOD is a leader in thinking about
environmental security, the field of how environmental
situations and changes in the environment and climate affect
stability and security. Last year, the Alaska National Guard
hosted people from 17 different countries, to include the
People's Republic of China, where all the Pacific region nations
came together to talk about how changes in climate and
environmental security are affecting their ability to keep their
people safe and secure.
They have plans for all different kinds of hazards, but having
enough food and supplies to move forward to the repair state is
very important, too. Putting her state hat on, she said the
Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management stresses
how important it is for each individual Alaskan and every family
to be prepared for disaster. Their website at ready.Alaska.gov
has a lot of information about how families can be prepared for
the worst so that families can help themselves.
MR. ANGAVAK corrected that he is a veteran, and while he
volunteered for the Viet Nam conflict, he was stationed in
Europe.
REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ commended Major General Hummel and the
Guard effort as a whole for taking leadership when it comes to
character and moral leadership. She was very impressed with the
depth of work that has been done by the Guard during the "dark
time" to establish ethical and moral leadership and character as
an essential component of service. It is well reflected in the
body of the personnel here today.
CO-CHAIR COSTELLO thanked Major General Hummel for her presence
today and for the work she oversees.
1:35:59 PM
CO-CHAIR COSTELLO adjourned the Joint Armed Services Committee
meeting at 1:35 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| ANR-ALCOM-11 AF Joint Armed Services Briefing 03.22.18.PDF |
JASC 3/22/2018 11:30:00 AM |
Joint Armed Services Committee |
| US Army Alaska Command Brief Joint Armed Services Committee 03.22.18.pdf |
JASC 3/22/2018 11:30:00 AM |
Joint Armed Services Committee |
| Coast Guard Brief Joint Armed Services Committee 03.22.18.pdf |
JASC 3/22/2018 11:30:00 AM |
Joint Armed Services Committee |
| Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Joint Armed Services Committee Briefing 03.22.18.pdf |
JASC 3/22/2018 11:30:00 AM |
Joint Armed Services Committee |