VILLAGE OF OUZINKIE, ALASKA, UNITED STATES
11.24.2024
Courtesy Story
Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies
Editor’s note: Arctic Warrior Insights is an op-ed series that feature insights and firsthand perspectives from services members working in the Arctic region. Capt. Sarah Plantamura is stationed at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, and serves as the company commander of Bravo company, 70th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division. The views expressed in this article only reflect her own views, not those of the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies, U.S. Department of Defense, or the 11th Airborne Division.
In August, 11 Soldiers from the 11th Airborne Division traveled to the remote Village of Ouzinkie, located on Spruce Island in the Kodiak Archipelago in southern Alaska. The village has around 110 residents of mostly Russian Aleut ancestry, and it is only accessible by air or water. Due to the remoteness of the village, there has historically been no access to fiberoptic internet. This need led to a partnership between the Spruce Island Development Corporation “SIDCO” and the small team of Soldiers through Innovative Readiness Training (IRT). SIDCO is a 501(c)(3) non-profit made up of members of the Tribe of Ouzinkie, the Ouzinkie Native Corporation, and the City of Ouzinkie. The Corporation’s stated mission is to “[work] to develop and implement community-based strategies to promote economic opportunity, develop community infrastructure, and preserve [their] Alutiiq heritage.” IRT is a Department of Defense program that authorizes military training opportunities that benefit American communities. Through IRT, SIDCO requested construction of a gravel pad to serve as the foundation for a future internet café to connect to the village’s new fiberoptic line, which was installed over the summer. As part of this request, SIDCO provided lodging, equipment, and materials for the project, while the Soldiers provided skilled labor and project management. This project serves as a possible template for active duty military units across Alaska to implement the DOD’s Arctic Strategy by engaging with Alaska Native Tribes, communities, and corporations while simultaneously providing a benefit to communities while gaining valuable Arctic proficiency.
The DOD released its 2024 Arctic Strategy in June of this year, setting out three lines of effort to improve its ability to monitor and respond to new challenges in the Arctic Region: 1) enhance the Joint Force’s Arctic capabilities, 2) engage with our Allies and partners, and 3) exercise presence in the Arctic by training both independently and alongside Allies and partners. The efforts of the 70th BEB, 1/11th Airborne Division Soldiers aligned directly with this second line of effort, where the DOD calls on the military to “engage with…Alaska Native Tribes and communities…in order to strengthen integrated deterrence and increase our shared security.” The Arctic Strategy also calls on the military to “consult and coordinate with Alaska Native Tribes, communities, and Alaska Native Corporations. Further, the DOD will work to incorporate Indigenous Knowledge about the Arctic to inform and improve our ability to effectively operate in the region and to increase our understanding about potential DOD impacts on subsistence culture and ways of life.” Participating in IRT projects in Alaska’s remote Arctic environment is a way for military units to train in the Arctic and build connections with, and learn from, Native communities across the state of Alaska.
The 11 Soldiers that took on the project traveled from Fort Wainwright, Alaska, to the Village of Ouzinkie. The team included heavy equipment operators, project managers, a surveyor, and a mechanic. Over the course of the 13 days, the team surveyed and cleared the site, hauled 290 dump truck loads of gravel, installed geotextile, and graded and leveled the pad. The internet café that will eventually be built on the site will provide a space for the local Alutiiq dance team to practice, and an area for economic opportunities and wellness classes.
The value of this type of this IRT project is that it not only benefitted the local community, but it also provided a unique and invaluable training opportunity for the Soldiers. The remote location of the project required Soldiers to overcome complex challenges involving sustainment, communication, and equipment maintenance. In facing these challenges, the Soldiers demonstrated their ability to operate in a more austere environment than typical training scenarios provide. Sgt. Robert Hooker, the mechanic on the team, stated that he “got a lot of good training out of it…it’s not in the motor pool or something like that…these are real situations you are going to encounter.” Hooker resolved many critical maintenance issues during the project, allowing it to finish ahead of schedule. The team also tested a newly fielded communications system, the Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK), relaying messages over 500 miles from the project site back to Fort Wainwright.
Aside from practical training experiences, the team also gained valuable cultural experiences with the local community. After the project was completed, the team was invited to participate in a community event on the Ouzinkie pier that celebrated the Tustumena Ferry’s continued service to the island and recognized a retiring tribal clerk. During the event, the team also promoted Spc. Zachery Whitely, who served as the loader operator. He stated that the project was “a great opportunity to create a good connection with the civilians in Alaska, and it’s a great opportunity to do something I love to do.” The community event was a culmination of the connection built between the project team and the village.
Alaska offers harsh Arctic, Sub-Arctic, high altitude, extreme cold-weather, locationally dispersed, and diminished communication-capable environments. IRT is a way for Soldiers to train in these conditions while furthering engagement and interoperability with partners across the state. In preparation for the project, the team coordinated with multiple agencies, including the Coast Guard, Alaska Army National Guard, Alaska State Defense Force, and personnel and sustainment transport companies. This type of inter-agency coordination is uncommon in typical training exercises, and it and provided even further professional development for the Soldiers.
The DOD has made it clear with the publication of the 2024 Arctic Strategy that the United States views the Arctic not only as a region of strategic importance but also as a region where the U.S. military personnel could have to fight in in the future. Alaska is the foremost Arctic environment in which the Army operates, IRT projects like that in Ouzinkie are one way to further the DOD’s Arctic Strategy by building connections with communities across Alaska and building necessary Arctic proficiency. Without even taking place in the winter months or in a location above the Arctic Circle, this IRT project produced remarkable training for the Soldiers and benefited the Ouzinkie community. To further support the Arctic Strategy, future IRT projects could take place in locations in Alaska that offer the most unforgiving environment that Soldiers could face in a future conflict in the Arctic. The Alaska Army National Guard regularly conducts IRT projects, and active duty Army should be taking advantage of these same training opportunities. Building relationships through IRT with rural communities in Alaska and military units will assist in the DOD’s goal to maintain dominance in the Arctic. There is an endless amount of untapped potential within Alaska for realistic training that both strengthens communities in remote areas and increases understanding of best practices for operating and winning in the Arctic.
Comentários