UAF co-hosts Arctic defense forum

Top military and University of Alaska officials gathered for the Arctic Security Forces Roundtable in Fairbanks in early May, an event that highlighted Alaska’s importance as the only U.S. Arctic nation.

Not surprising, there was no Russian presence.

Established in 2010 and co-chaired by U.S. European Command and the Norwegian Defense Staff, the 2022 ASFR was the first held in the United States.

U.S. Northern Command, one of six Department of Defense geographic combatant commands, hosted this year’s event. The University of Alaska Fairbanks and Eielson Air Force Base were selected as the hosting locations.

The UAF Center for Arctic Security and Resilience managed local preparations for the event through U.S. Northern Command.

The Arctic Security Forum is the world’s only military defense gathering that brings together delegations from the Arctic nations — plus select allies that operate in the Arctic — to discuss multinational, military-to-military operationally relevant topics.

Since 2014, Russia has not participated in the ASFR due to sanctions against the country.

Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, highlighted the importance of allied collaboration.

“Our greatest asymmetric strategic advantage is a global network of allies and partners, and like-minded nations who remain committed to Arctic security and stability,” VanHerck said during a presentation to the roundtable.

University of Alaska President Pat Pitney attended VanHerck’s presentation. UAF Chancellor Dan White met with the delegations during a reception held at the University of Alaska Museum of the North.

“UAF has a long history of research related to operations and situational awareness in the Arctic,” White said. “We were delighted to host this meeting and hope that the connections made can enable UAF to grow in our partnership with members of the Arctic Security Foru.”

UAF Vice Chancellor for Research Nettie La Belle-Hamer and Cathy Cahill, director of UAF’s Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration, provided insights about the wide range of operationally relevant Arctic research being conducted at UAF.

The delegations also visited the Permafrost Tunnel Research Facility, which is managed by the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The tunnel was of particular interest to the European delegates, who are not familiar with many of the Arctic challenges experienced by their North American counterparts.