The US Army put on a sudden show of force out on the far edge of Alaska to send the message it can as Russia and China drill in the Pacific

For the event, the 11th Airborne Division pulled together a range of capabilities from across the US Army, including a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System platoon from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, communications equipment from Hawaii, and a target acquisition radar and an infantry security force from the 11th Airborne Division. The number of soldiers deployed was around 130 for this exercise.

The Alaska Air National Guard and the Air Force transported the various weapons and assets.

“Bringing these forces together,” Hilbert explained, “demonstrates to any adversary that we can deploy anywhere with little notice. We can suddenly create a dilemma,” he said, “and we can do that with significant firepower, and we can do it as a joint force.”

The Army exercise is being carried out in the Aleutian Islands, an island chain extending from Alaska’s southernmost edge out into the Bering Sea and Northern Pacific Ocean. More specifically, the exercise is being held on Shemya Island.

Alaska is a large, complex, and challenging environment that requires soldiers to develop various Arctic warfare skills.

11th Airborne Division soldiers previously told BI that the difficulties of fighting in the unforgiving Arctic prompt them to adapt and innovate in real time. Soldiers regularly train and carry out exercises across the state and in the broader region, remaining flexible for different situations.

US Army Pacific has made combat in the Arctic a major priority, and 11th Airborne forces work with the larger network — both USARPAC and US Pacific allies and partners — to maintain readiness.

Prior to the launch of the drills, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the US of provoking “an arms race” and “disregarding the security interests of its European and Asian allies” by engaging in military action in the Indo-Pacific region.

“This lays the groundwork for a dangerous crisis in Europe, as well as in the Asia-Pacific Region,” he added, painting his exercise as a challenge to the US. China, another US rival, joined these exercises as Beijing and Moscow increasingly partner to confront the US-led world order.

The timing of USARPAC’s force projection demonstration is “not a coincidence,” Hilbert said, pointing to the Army and larger joint force’s goal of showing the strength and flexibility of US capabilities in the region.

“This is a capability that USARPAC has that we could use anywhere, and this was the right time to use this capability,” the 11th Airborne commander said.