Alaska Shield/Northern Edge 2007 interagency exercise kicks-off

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  • By Joint Task Force-Alaska Public Affairs
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  A plane approaches Alaskan airspace. Its flight plan is logged as Anchorage, Alaska, but it's actually flying toward Cordova, a small town southeast of the city. It could be just a pilot off course - but it could be drug runners, illegal immigrants or even terrorists.

The scenario is part of Alaska Shield/Northern Edge 2007, an annual exercise that runs through May 18. It's part of the U.S. Northern Command-sponsored, national-level Ardent Sentry/Northern Edge 2007 exercise - the largest and most complex exercise undertaken in the history of Joint Task Force-Alaska.

Ardent Sentry is designed to hone coordination between the Department of Defense as well as federal, state, local and private agencies in a series of challenging scenarios ranging from natural disasters to terrorist incidents.

"Because of its size and strategic importance, Alaska is unique in hosting a military command focused on the defense and, when requested, support of the state," said Lt. Gen. Douglas Fraser, Joint Task Force-Alaska commander. "This exercise is an opportunity to show how the local, state and federal partnership in Alaska provides the highest level of security and response."

As part of that coordination between agencies, a scenario was planned for the on-alert F-15C Eagles stationed at Elmendorf.

"The scenario today was to intercept a simulated drug runner out of the Pacific Northwest," said Maj. Nick Guttman, 3rd Wing Weapons Officer.

In this example, the Canadian Air Force would initially respond while the plane was over their air space. It would then be handed off to the pair of F-15s as the drug runner's plane approached Alaska.

Joint Task Force-Alaska is the military component of Alaska's integrated response. Its primary missions are to provide military support to civilian agencies and to defend Alaska's borders from unauthorized entry. Commonly called Defense Support to Civil Authorities or Homeland Defense, these missions are performed in conjunction with state and local partners, like the Alaska National Guard, the FBI, the Municipality of Anchorage, the Alaska State Troopers, and many others.

People with questions or concerns can call the Joint Task Force-Alaska media center at (907) 552-0592.