Military leaders, lawmakers, and industry leaders gathered in Fairbanks last week to talk about what Alaska would need to support a growing military presence.
Lisa Murkowski was the keynote speaker at the Alaska Defense Forum, an annual conference focused on military interests in the Arctic. She cautioned participants that there’s a lot of work to be done to prepare for that growth.
“Here's the hard truth, folks: Alaska's not ready yet,” she said. “We are still a young state. In many places, we are still building infrastructure for the first time.”
Murkowski said she and her colleagues in Congress are working to support military readiness by securing federal funding for new ports, harbors, roads, bridges and sewer systems in Alaska. But her main concern is whether the state can generate the power needed to support that growth.
“We don't have that gas line feeding us, and we have a Cook Inlet that is on the decline,” Murkowski said. “And with our military and our investments, that demand is just going up.”
Fairbanks, which neighbors several major military installations, has some of the nation’s highest utility costs, running about 113% above the urban average.
Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor Grier Hopkins said plans for an increased military presence in Alaska must also consider the welfare of locals and servicemembers in off-base communities. He spoke at the forum about how he wants Fairbanks to be a more attractive and comfortable place for military families to live.
“They need new sports,” Hopkins said. “They need new schools. They need housing. They need parks to play in. They need things to do, so when the members of their family deploy, their life still goes on.”
U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan also gave a virtual address at the forum, and Rep. Nick Begich sent in a pre-taped message