GO/FO summit: strengthening partnerships, Arctic understanding

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. John Gordinier
  • Alaskan Command Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  Imagine a cruise ship sailing through the Northwest Passage heading to the Arctic Ocean and all of sudden it has an emergency. The ship requests help for an evacuation of 245 people. Alaska, the largest state, is mostly isolated, severe and austere. Imagine the amount of logistics, resources and time it would take to respond.

That is one example of many discussions that took place during the annual General Officer/Flag Officer summit March 15 to 18. Senior military officers and enlisted leaders, joint and bi-national, attend each year to strengthen partnerships as well as discuss current and future Arctic and Alaskan challenges and joint capabilities.

"Crises and emergencies have no borders and the scenario may require a response from multiple agencies, which is why it's important to establish relationships prior to an incident," said Lt. Gen. Russ Handy, Alaskan NORAD Region, Alaskan Command and 11th Air Force commander. "During the GO/FO summit, we discuss joint and coalition standard operating procedures, which improves interoperability, coordination, and command and control among mission partners."

Attendees included: U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Russ Handy; Canadian Brig. Gen. Patrice Laroche, Alaskan NORAD Region deputy commander; U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Bryan Owens, U.S. Army Alaska commanding general; U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Daniel Abel, District 17 commander; U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Laurel Hummel, The Adjutant General for the State of Alaska; Canadian Rear Adm. Gilles Couturier, Maritime Forces Pacific/Joint Task Force Pacific commander; Canadian Brig. Gen. Michael Nixon, Joint Task Force North commander; Canadian Brig. Gen. Wayne Eyre, Joint Task Force West commander; the senior enlisted leaders from most of their commands, and other unit officers.

This year's summit focused on future challenges in the Arctic and improving holistic knowledge and understanding of this environment. The summit itinerary included a tour of the Permafrost Tunnel in Fox, Alaska, briefings on past and upcoming Alaskan and Arctic exercises, wildland fire mitigation and a tour of the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex via UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.

"Touring the Permafrost Tunnel gives us insight to future infrastructure challenges," Handy said. "If we better understand the consequences of changes to parts of our environment such as Permafrost, we can identify vulnerabilities and make decisions on current and future infrastructure to ensure they continue to meet the demands of our missions."

As the U.S. and Canadian military expand training and infrastructure in the north, it is imperative they understand permafrost terrains, said Dr. Thomas Douglas, a research geochemist with the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory. Permafrost can be dynamic, can respond to human or natural disturbance, and can be a challenge for mobility in the summer time. Structures built in the past likely were not constructed with the most optimal thermal designs to protect the permafrost from thawing. If infrastructure is constructed on thaw-unstable ground, the disturbance or climate warming could move the subsurface into instability.

After the Permfrost tour, attendees visited Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, and recieved briefings on future Alaskan and Arctic exercises. The extensive list of exercises provides insight to opportunities for joint and Canadian partners to participate. Some exercises are led by the U.S. Air Force, some by the U.S. Army and some are U.S. Coast Guard centric, but most provide opportunites to practice interoperability.

"Each exercise has a scenario that can happen or has happened in the past," Handy said. "We want to invite our partners, joint and international, to participant whenever possible so we can learn each others' operational tactics, techniques and procedures."

Since many Alaskan exercises take place within the JPARC, upon completion of the briefings, attendess were given an overflight tour over part of it.

The JPARC consists of all the land, air, sea, space and cyberspace used for military training in Alaska, providing unmatched opportunities for present and future service, joint, interagency and multinational training. The JPARC encompasses approximately 65,000 square miles of available airspace, 2,490 square miles of land space with 1.5 million acres of maneuver land and 42,000 square nautical miles of sea and airspace in the Gulf of Alaska.

"The JPARC is a tremendous training resource," Handy said. "It is the largest exercise area we have in the U.S. and parts of it are actually larger than some states. Having an expansive exercise area gives us opportunites to hone skills and practice multiple agency or multinational response with strategic partners. That way, if a contingency or crisis occurs and needs multiple agency coordination, we can respond with a known understanding of each others' capabilities and resources."