Military

Thousands of servicemembers participate in 2 training exercises

KUAC | By Tim Ellis

Published August 15, 2025 at 2:27 PM AKDT

An Army AH-64 Apache helicopter is winched down the ramp of a National Guard C-5 Galaxy at Eielson Air Force Base during an earlier iteration of the Northern Edge military training exercise. — An Army AH-64 Apache helicopter is winched down the ramp of an Air National Guard C-5 Galaxy at Eielson Air Force Base during an earlier iteration of the Northern Edge military training exercise.

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Thousands of U.S. and allied servicemembers and aircraft and naval vessels began a large military training exercise Thursday around Alaska and in areas offshore. Northern Edge 2025 is one of two exercises now under way in Alaska.

An Air Force F-22A Raptor refuels inflight with an Alaska Air National Guard KC-135R Stratotanker fueling boom during Northern Edge 2006. The KC-135 is operated by the AKANG's 168th Air Refueling Wing based at Eielson Air Force Base. — An Air Force F-22A Raptor refuels inflight with an Alaska Air National Guard KC-135R Stratotanker fueling boom during Northern Edge 2006. The KC-135 is operated by the Alaska ANG's 168th Air Refueling Wing based at Eielson Air Force Base.

“Eielson Air Force Base will be taking part in Northern Edge 25 from August 14^th to the 25^th,” says Staff Sgt. Gabrielle Spalding, an Eielson spokesperson.

Spalding says residents of the Interior will see and hear more activity in airspace around the base and statewide over the next 10 days.

“There’ll be increased aircraft activity, more than usual, that will be occurring during the weekdays as well on the weekends,” she said Wednesday.

The exercise will be conducted around the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex, a series of training areas around the state that provide some 77,000 square miles of airspace.

A Pacific Air Forces news release says operations related to Northern Edge will take place at Fairbanks International Airport and Allen Army Airfield at Fort Greely, as well as Joint Base Elemendorf Richardson, Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, Juneau International Airport, King Salmon, Cold Bay and the Aleutian Islands.

The news release says operations also will be conducted out of Joint Base Lewis McCord and Fairchild Air Force Base, both in Washington state.

Northern Edge is being conducted by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, based in Hawaii. The exercise is intended to improve the readiness and ability of U.S. and allied forces to operate jointly and to defend Alaska and the United States.

A second training exercise called Arctic Edge 2025 also is underway in Alaska. It’s being conducted separately by the Colorado-based U.S. Northern Command.

A barge arrives at Northstar Terminal at Port Mackenzie on the Knik Arm, near Anchorage as part of ARCTIC EDGE 2025. — A barge loaded with military equipment arrives at Northstar Terminal at Port Mackenzie, near Anchorage, as part of ARCTIC EDGE 2025.

A NORTHCOM news release says Arctic Edge will involve the North American Aerospace Defense Command, along with personnel and equipment from the Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine, Coast Guard, Alaska National Guard, the FBI, local law-enforcement agencies and Native communities. Allied forces from United Kingdom and Denmark also will participate.

Arctic Edge is scheduled to take place through the end of the month. But a NORTHCOM spokesperson said today (8/15) that training exercise operations at Joint Base Elemendorf Richardson will be relocated or rescheduled to accommodate today’s meeting between President Trump and Russian President Putin at JBER.

The news release says Arctic Edge is intended to improve readiness, demonstrate capabilities and enhance interoperability between U.S. joint and allied forces.