The U.S. military, along with other federal and state authorities, has been training to respond to potentially dangerous releases of radioactive material in and around the Arctic. Though there is no clear indication of a direct link between Russia’s reported tests of nuclear-powered missiles or expanding use of nuclear power in the region, it is hard not to see these exercises in connection with those developments. Earlier in March 2018, members of the U.S. National Guards from 10 different states arrived at the Donnelly Training Area, situated near the U.S. Army’s Fort Greely in Alaska. Alaska state authorities and members of Canada’s reserve 39 Canadian Brigade Group joined the exercise, nicknamed Arctic Eagle 2018, as well.

The drills included a number of different mock crises, including an overturned fuel truck creating a hazardous material spill, the potential for attacks on the Trans Alaskan Pipeline System, and even cyber attacks. But especially notable was a scenario involving the need to locate a crashed satellite and contain the radiological material it had deposited across a wide area as it plummeted to earth. “Training in an extreme weather environment tests not only your equipment, but your own physical strength,” 1st Lieutenant Shawnta DiFalco, commander of the Decontamination Element within the Washington Army National Guard’s 792nd Chemical Company, said during the exercise. “The Soldiers had to work through freezing wind, snow and ground ice to set up equipment. Without fail, there are challenges when using decontamination equipment; the cold weather training we received was unmatched in its ability to challenge our capability to do our jobs in an austere environment.”

US Army A member of the 220th Military Police Company, Colorado Army National Guard, mans a checkpoint in the Donnelly Training Area during Arctic Eagle 2018.

The 792nd Chemical Company is part of a larger Homeland Response Force for Alaska and neighboring regions of the United States, which also includes specialized Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams, military police, and other elements from various states. Air and Army National Guard elements also helped deploy these forces, including via C-17 airlifters. The active duty 95th Chemical Company also contributed a pair of M1135 Stryker Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicles, which carries various equipment to detect and categorize radiological, chemical, and biological hazards, for the exercise. “The winter is a really challenging time of year to land in Valdez, [Alaska],” Major Laura Grossman, one of the two pilots from the Alaska Air National Guard’s 176th Wing that flew C-17s between from Anchorage to the landing area near the Alaskan city of Fairchild during the drills, said. “The runway isn’t plowed, and even if we were able to land, the runway is too slick and wouldn’t allow us to take off.”

US Army An infogrpahic showing the various capabilities of the M1135 Stryker.

It’s definitely no secret that the U.S. military has become increasing interested in preparing for potential conflicts and other contingencies above and near the Arctic Circle in recent years. As global climate change has shrunk the polar ice cap and otherwise reduced the amount of ice buildup that occurs during certain parts of the year, the region has become increasingly important economically and various countries, especially Russia, have moved to enforce their territorial claims. “The growing concerns regarding the increased number of nations competing for Arctic resources are well justified,” U.S. Air Force General Lori Robinson, head of U.S. Northern Command, which oversees operations in the region, and the designated “Advocate for Arctic Capabilities” within the Pentagon, reiterated to members of Congress during a hearing in February 2018. “Diminishing sea ice provides opportunities for significantly expanded access to a region that had previously been inaccessible to all but a handful of northern nations.”

US Army A C-17 from the Alaska Air National Guard's 176th Wing sits on the tarmac in Spokane, Washington waiting to pick up elements of the Homeland Response Force during Arctic Eagle 2018.