JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska – March 28 signals the beginning of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s biannual Polar Force mission readiness exercise.
People who live and work on or near the installation can expect increased air traffic during normal operating hours and on the weekend throughout the exercise, which concludes April 8.
Polar Force is a routine two-week exercise designed to test JBER’s mission readiness and strengthen and develop the skills service members require when facing adverse situations and austere conditions. This pre-planned exercise is unrelated to current geopolitical events.
The exercise provides an opportunity to simulate generating effective, flexible and capabilities-centered forces, ready for worldwide deployment, and enables real-world proficiency in response to a variety of crises.
“Our mission here at JBER is as critical as it is complex," said U.S. Air Force Col. Travolis Simmons, 3rd Wing commander. "This exercise is an opportunity to test our Agile Combat Employment capabilities posturing us to fly, fight and win in a modern, contested environment.”
Lessons learned during the next two weeks will ensure military personnel remain ready and capable to deter aggressors and defend the nation.