ARCTIC SECURITY

Officials with the U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) told state and federal officials last month that they would be interested in expanding military access on Adak Island. The announcement was made during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Feb. 13, after Sen. Dan Sullivan pressed federal officials to strengthen military presence in Alaska.

The U.S. Coast Guard spotted four foreign military vessels in the Bering Sea Saturday. Coast Guard officials say the joint patrol between Russian and Chinese ships shows their “increased interest in the Arctic.”

The world’s attention is focused on Russia’s European border, but tensions are also building on the country’s far eastern border with the United States. And it's a conflict that’s been simmering for decades. Melting ice and thawing permafrost in the Arctic are opening previously inaccessible resources, like oil and minerals. That’s leading Arctic nations like Russia, the United States and Canada to focus increased attention on the region. And Alaska has a front row seat.

A U.S. Coast Guard cutter and its 140 crew members returned to California late last month after a nearly 80-day patrol in the Bering Sea. The 418-foot Waesche — a vessel longer than a football field — traveled more than 12,000 miles since departing Alameda in November. Its patrol spanned the West Coast, Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands and Gulf of Alaska.

For the first time in two years, the U.S. Army is conducting helicopter training exercises in the Aleutian Islands. The mission is designed to test…

A U.S. Navy warship called on Unalaska last week, marking the branch's first visit since the closure of Adak's base in the 1990s.While city and tribal…

Amid the wind, waves, and rain, a strange ship roared through Kuluk Bay toward the shores of Adak.It looked out of place, speeding past misty green…

The U.S. Navy warship USS Somerset has docked in Unalaska. Despite Navy officials' earlier concerns about limited space onboard, the vessel will be open…

Updated 9/23/19After making a brief stop over the weekend, a large U.S. Navy ship is expected to call on Unalaska again — and stay for longer — next…

U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan wants to increase Arctic security infrastructure throughout Alaska. During a short visit to Unalaska last week, he said the…