Adak is set to receive $115 million to prepare the island for possible military use. Officials said the westernmost city in the country is uniquely suited for Arctic and North Pacific defense operations because of its location and its old Navy base.
The Aleut Corp., the regional Native corporation for the Aleutians, is one of several groups involved in the effort. At the Unalaska City Council meeting on Sept. 22, Paul Dworian, the corporation’s senior Adak development manager, gave the city an update.
“The Navy is looking at potentially doing some things out at Adak Island,” he said. “But a big part of that is evaluating what the condition of everything on the island is, and maybe repairing a few things.”
Adak had a military presence for more than 50 years. During World War II, a base was built with large runways and docks on the island. At one point, Adak had thousands of residents. But after the base closed in 1997, most of the people left, and much of the infrastructure went into disrepair.
Dworian said several projects are now addressing that infrastructure, including repairing the island’s electrical grid, making improvements at the airport and mapping the seafloor of two nearby bays to look for leftover munitions and explosives.
Much of the new work is funded by federal defense money. Last year, Congress set aside $115 million for Arctic infrastructure.
The Denali Commission, an independent federal agency that builds basic infrastructure in rural Alaska, is managing that money. A spokesperson for the organization said in an email to KUCB that the funds are being spent in phases, starting with evaluations and design. As of now about $12.5 million has been awarded.
The commission said the overall goal is to prepare the island for “episodic” military operations and exercises, and to improve critical infrastructure used by the community and region.
Dworian, with the Aleut Corp., said there are currently no plans to permanently station military personnel on Adak.
“The decision regarding the nature and extent of any repairs, for the most part, hasn't been made and is based on the findings of our initial assessments and whatever the military says they're going to need,” he said.
But the repairs don’t guarantee the military will come back. The money is just a first step to see what the island would need to host the Navy when needed.
