Legislature(2021 - 2022)GRUENBERG 120
05/04/2021 01:00 PM House MILITARY & VETERANS' AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
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| Start | |
| Presentation: Regaining Arctic Dominance by Major General Peter Andrysiak | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
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ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON MILITARY AND VETERANS' AFFAIRS
May 4, 2021
1:02 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Chris Tuck, Chair
Representative Andi Story
Representative Geran Tarr
Representative George Rauscher
Representative Laddie Shaw
Representative David Nelson
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Matt Claman
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION: REGAINING ARCTIC DOMINANCE BY MAJOR GENERAL PETER
ANDRYSIAK
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
MAJOR GENERAL PETER ANDRYSIAK, Commanding General, United States
Army Alaska and Deputy Commander, United States Alaskan Command
Fort Wainwright, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented a PowerPoint on Regaining Arctic
Dominance.
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:02:09 PM
CHAIR CHRIS TUCK called the House Special Committee on Military
and Veterans' Affairs meeting to order at 1:02 p.m.
Representatives Rauscher, Nelson, Story, Shaw, and Tuck were
present at the call to order. Representative Tarr arrived as
the meeting was in progress.
^PRESENTATION: Regaining Arctic Dominance by Major General Peter
Andrysiak
PRESENTATION: Regaining Arctic Dominance by Major General Peter
Andrysiak
1:02:55 PM
CHAIR TUCK announced that the only order of business would be a
presentation by Major General Peter Andrysiak.
CHAIR TUCK introduced Major General Andrysiak and stated that he
assumed command of the U.S. Army in 2019, is a graduate of [the
United States Military Academy] West Point, and has a Master of
Science degree in National Security Strategy from the National
War College. He said that over his 29-year military career
Major General Andrysiak has served in Rwanda, Kuwait, Iraq,
Afghanistan, Italy, and Alaska.
1:03:55 PM
MAJOR GENERAL PETER ANDRYSIAK, Commanding General, United States
Army Alaska and Deputy Commander, United States Alaskan Command,
began his presentation with a PowerPoint [hard copy included in
the committee packet], titled "America's Arctic Warriors," and
he said that the Army is working in Alaska with the newly-signed
Arctic Strategy. He said that some operational changes are
expected in Alaska, including who will be involved and where the
work will take place, in order to expand the capacity of
developing cold-weather capabilities and to regain dominance in
the Arctic. He said this is being done in cooperation with the
U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) and the Department of the Army. He
directed attention to information on slide 2, "Organization and
Mission," which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
USARAK provides trained and ready forces in support of
worldwide unified land operations.
Supports USINDOPACOM Theater Security Cooperation
Program in order to contribute to a stable and secure
operational environment.
O/O, executes joint force land component command
functions ISO of homeland defense and defense support
of civil authorities in Alaska.
MAJOR GENERAL ANDRYSIAK explained that slide 2 describes the
layers of command. The U.S. Army Alaska (USARAK) is represented
by the "Binky Bear" logo and I CORPS, USARAK's primary
headquarters at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, is
identified by its "bulls-eye" patch. He said that USARPAC
oversees USARAK and I CORPS, with the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command
(INDOPACOM) in command of them all. He stressed that USARAK's
first requirement is to generate "trained and ready forces" for
use by the INDOPACOM commander in the INDOPACOM Area of
Responsibility (AOR). He explained that the challenge is that
Alaska is in the NORTHCOM [United States Northern Command]
"footprint" and that while he is the senior commander in Alaska
for the U.S. Army, he is also the deputy commander for
Lieutenant General [William] Krumm in Alaskan Command, which
includes personnel from the Air Force, Army, Navy, and Coast
Guard. He noted the number of different units within USARAK.
1:07:29 PM
MAJOR GENERAL ANDRYSIAK presented slide 3, "Location," which
displayed a map of Alaska with stars representing the locations
of Fort Wainwright, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER), and
Black Rapids Training Site with the Northern Warfare Training
Center. He noted that Fort Wainwright has 2,500 more soldiers
than JBER and remains the home of the 1-25th Stryker Brigade
Combat Team, which returned from Iraq and Syria in 2020. He
said that Fort Wainwright is also home to the two aviation
battalions, 1-52nd General Support Aviation Battalion and 1-25th
Attack and Recon Battalion, as well as supporting partners such
as the U.S. Army Installation Management Command (IMCOM). He
explained that JBER is the headquarters of the 4-25th Infantry
Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) as well as the headquarters of
USARAK, the USARAK Support Battalion ("17th CSSB"), and related
mission partners. He said that the Northern Warfare Training
Center at the Black Rapids Training Site is where leaders are
prepared to train the soldiers in cold weather operations.
1:08:47 PM
MAJOR GENERAL ANDRYSIAK presented slide 4, "USARAK: Ready to
Fight and Win Anywhere," which displayed a world map showing the
areas designated as "cold climate" locations, which he described
as 31 percent of the earth's surface, 27 percent of which is
mountainous. He explained that in the 20 years of military
focus on Afghanistan and Iraq, cold weather training has
atrophied. He then presented slide 5, "The Arctic and the
Geopolitical Landscape," which displayed a world map from the
point of view of the Arctic and showing Alaska, Canada,
Greenland, Russia, China, and the Scandinavian countries. Slide
5 read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
Regaining dominance in the Arctic provides new
opportunities to engage and train with the many allies
and partners around the world who also operate in
extreme cold weather, mountainous, and high altitude
environments. - U.S. Army Arctic Strategy
Arctic is Simultaneously
? Arena of competition
? Line of attack in conflict
Area rich in natural resources
? Platform for global power projection
MAJOR GENERAL ANDRYSIAK said that senior leaders in the Army
have realized that readiness for competition, crisis, or
conflict requires change in how the region is considered. This
would involve considering the geopolitical and geographic
aspects while recognizing that Russia and China are invested
both militarily and economically in the region. He stressed
that the military understands that climate change will impact
how future operations are conducted. Realizing that the "flat-
map" perspective is no longer sufficient, he said, viewing the
area instead from the top down will allow better understanding
of the interconnectedness of the Arctic. He said stated that
due to the changing environment, the Army views the Arctic as an
area of competition and a line of attack in conflict. A
critical component of that is the perspective of homeland
defense, he said, and the military views the Arctic "global
power projection platform." He noted that competitors look at
the Arctic as an opportunity to exploit the northern shipping
routes like the Northwest Passage through the northern Canadian
islands and the Transpolar Sea Route; the same resources and
shipping routes important to Russia and China are also important
to the U.S.
1:11:43 PM
MAJOR GENERAL ANDRYSIAK presented slide 6, "Regaining Arctic
Dominance," and directed attention to the left half of the
slide, which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
Timeline
11 July 2020
? Chief of Staff of the Army visits USARAK
? Arctic strategy fast-tracked
26 August 2020
? Army Senior Leaders Readiness Forum
4 December 2020
Army Arctic Symposium
19 January 2021
? Secretary of the Army and CSA sign the classified
Arctic strategy
The strategy lays out a plan of broad objectives the
Army will achieve through the execution of Title X
actions and analysis to achieve operational results
MAJOR GENERAL ANDRYSIAK explained that the Army Arctic Symposium
was the last piece of preparation informing the release of the
strategy. He paraphrased the remainder of slide 6, which read
as follows [original punctuation provided]:
Construct
The Arctic Now and in the Future
? Geopolitical environment
? Army capabilities
Future environment
? Resources & transportation
The Arctic as a Region of Strategic Competition
? Russia Asserting dominance
? China Normalizing presence
The Army in the Arctic Strategy
? Project power from, within, and through
? Employ calibrated force posture
? Engage and strengthen allies and partners to
maintain stability
? Generate Arctic capable forces
The Arctic Path
? Actions to achieve our objectives
? Strong Alaska focus
1:13:54 PM
MAJOR GENERAL ANDRYSIAK presented slide 7, "The Arctic Path,"
which displayed the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) objectives
of defending the homeland, competing to maintain favorable
regional balances of power, and ensuring common domains remain
free and open. He said that the strategy includes an
operational approach for land forces in the region; the
commanders of NORTHCOM, United States European Command (EUCOM),
and INDOPACOM all have equities in the Arctic, and the question
for all units is how to generate trained and ready forces. He
described the methods used to achieve DoD objectives, and he
said that the first line of effort is to improve Arctic
capability; equipment will be adjusted to operate throughout the
Arctic environment, and the Army will be looking for soldiers
who would be more likely to thrive in cold weather. The second
line of effort, he said, is to compete in the Arctic as well as
globally. He described the challenge of redefining the
relationships with INDOPACOM countries such as India and
Mongolia that have cold and mountainous environments. The third
line of effort, he said, is to defend the far north in crisis
and conflict; he noted that the Arctic Scout program is being
reinvigorated, and the military is developing opportunities to
engage the Alaska Native community. The fourth line of effort
is to build Arctic multi-domain operations, which he described
as a complicated effort to integrate cyber and intelligence
communities. The fifth line of effort is to project power
across the Arctic in the form of exercises and bringing other
units into Alaska to train. He said that the plan is to convert
USARAK to an operational headquarters, which would add much-
needed capabilities for Arctic operations.
1:19:47 PM
MAJOR GENERAL ANDRYSIAK presented slide 8, "Arctic Capacity -
Operational Approach," which showed the hierarchical approach to
training in a cold weather environment. He explained that the
bottom of the hierarchical pyramid is having the right equipment
such as snowshoes, skis, Arctic tents, stoves, winterization
kits, and tire chains. The next level is provided by the
Northern Warfare Training Center, which will train the leaders,
followed by the commander and unit level training. The fourth
level in the hierarchy is the collective training focusing on
the Arctic, in which soldiers will learn to operate on a larger
scale and for a longer duration; he explained that this level
includes experiential-based training in the weather and terrain,
so training which was primarily done from March to October will
now be October to March. At the top of the hierarchy, he said,
is the focus on building and retaining the soldiers with the
type of expertise informed by the Arctic approach. He clarified
that units will stay in Alaska, and other units and leaders will
be brought into Alaska to train, so the Army at large is exposed
to Arctic training.
1:25:17 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NELSON asked whether DoD or USARAK has a plan to
combat the suicide rate as soldiers from the Lower 48 are
stationed in Alaska.
MAJOR GENERAL ANDRYSIAK explained that suicide is tied to unique
problems in individuals rather than being tied to the
environment. He noted that the Army has spent $1.3 billion in
the past few years to improve quality of life and ensure that
soldiers have access to resources, and he remarked that
integration into the community is a key strategy in suicide
prevention. He referred to his earlier description about the
recruiting strategy that targets more soldiers from the north,
and that those soldiers would be "more apt to thrive."
REPRESENTATIVE NELSON said that some soldiers have expressed
that it's difficult to get Arctic training and asked whether
increasing class size at the Northern Warfare Training Center is
part of the strategy.
MAJOR GENERAL ANDRYSIAK replied that the school is designed for
leaders to train soldiers; as the Army retains talent and
soldiers work their way to squad leader or platoon sergeant
positions, they will get the opportunity to go through the
course. He said that the course will expand to meet the demand
to train leaders rather than training each soldier.
REPRESENTATIVE NELSON asked whether there is a timeline for
increasing the capacity of the training center.
MAJOR GENERAL ANDRYSIAK explained that the instructors will be
augmented to move more leaders through the program; he said that
a problem is that with training in the mountainous environment
and extreme cold, and for longer durations, the training period
will be longer overall. He said that the Army is doing a
program assessment now, evaluating the needed instructor size to
meet demand for the course. He said that the course is
currently focused on preventing issues that have occurred in
more recent history, with instruction focused on things like
preventing frostbite at the beginning of training in March, and
needs to be revamped for full cold-weather training.
REPRESENTATIVE NELSON noted that a few years ago there was talk
of transferring Arctic paratroopers out of Alaska, and he
expressed his appreciation for the strategy.
1:31:43 PM
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER referred to slide 4, which stated that
31 percent of the earth's surface experiences cold climates, and
asked at what temperature the climate is deemed to be "cold."
MAJOR GENERAL ANDRYSIAK replied that the focus of the strategy
is to be able to use the troops in Korea or Europe and said that
he would find out the temperature.
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER asked whether the Black Rapids Training
Site would be operational year-round.
MAJOR GENERAL ANDRYSIAK explained that classes in the winter
focus on cold weather operations, with mountaineering the focus
in the summer. He indicated that "a mountain component to the
winter piece" needs to be added. He mentioned the 10th Mountain
Division, which started in World War II as a skiing division,
and he remarked that the division's operational success in the
Italian Alps could be attributed more to its mountaineering
skills than to its skiing skills.
1:34:16 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TARR asked whether there would be any overlap
with the U.S. Coast Guard in the Arctic dominance strategy.
MAJOR GENERAL ANDRYSIAK replied that all branches of the
military are looking at Arctic strategy from different
perspectives. He said, "I think the biggest piece that needs to
come next is, 'How do we stitch this all together, and how does
that all play a role in competition?'"
1:36:18 PM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY noted his remarks about using the
traditional knowledge of Alaska Natives and asked whether he
believes the legislature should be doing anything to assist in
providing a better quality of life for the soldiers.
MAJOR GENERAL ANDRYSIAK responded that the Army has been in full
support of the needed resources to build out the infrastructure
challenges in Alaska. He said that U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski
asked him, "How do we, as a community, need to come together
from a quality-of-life perspective?" He expressed the belief
that as COVID-19 restrictions ease, community connections will
strengthen. He opined that a challenge in the Interior is to
get the market to absorb the new requirements; for instance, he
said, hospital capacity that relies on the local market. He
also noted that a lot of soldiers come to Alaska without their
families because the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP)
doesn't provide the services the soldier's family might need.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY said that there is proposed legislation for
interstate licensure for military spouses.
MAJOR GENERAL ANDRYSIAK responded that the proposed legislation
for licensure is a huge initiative for spouse employment.
1:39:27 PM
CHAIR TUCK added that in 2019 the Alaska Defense Initiative
included a discussion with ideas to support lifestyles that
support military families by helping them connect with the
communities and make a living. He noted the effect on families
with deployed troops and young children.
1:40:29 PM
REPRESENTATIVE RAUSCHER said that 60 Russian airplanes were
intercepted in 2020, and he expressed that the increased
activity is "straining our units." He asked whether Russia or
any other country is breaching Alaska's northern borders.
MAJOR GENERAL ANDRYSIAK replied that he is not aware of that
happening.
1:42:35 PM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked Major General Andrysiak whether he
had comments about supporting the soldiers with education.
MAJOR GENERAL ANDRYSIAK expressed that educational experiences
at Fort Wainwright have been "extremely positive," and he knows
of no shortfalls in that area.
1:44:29 PM
The committee took an at-ease from 1:44 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.
1:45:20 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Special Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs meeting was
adjourned at 1:45 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| US Army Regaining Arctic Dominance Report 4.28.2021.pdf |
HMLV 5/4/2021 1:00:00 PM |
|
| U.S. Army Arctic Strategy slideshow for HMLV May 4.pdf |
HMLV 5/4/2021 1:00:00 PM |