Army Poised To Revamp Alaska Forces To Prep For Arctic Fight

The Ardmoreite:

The U.S. Army is poised to revamp its forces in Alaska to better prepare for future cold-weather conflicts, and it is expected to replace the larger, heavily equipped Stryker Brigade in the state with a more mobile infantry unit better suited for the frigid fight, Army leaders say.

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said she expects to make a final decision soon about the Alaska troop change, saying she will likely convert the Stryker unit, which uses heavy, eight-wheeled vehicles, to an infantry brigade.

“I think right now the purpose of Army forces in Alaska is much more about creating an extreme cold weather capable formation” that could be used in Europe or the Indo-Pacific, Wormuth told The Associated Press on a recent trip to Alaska to meet with senior commanders and troops. “We’re trying to get to a place where we have Arctic capable forces — forces that can survive and operate in that environment.”

See also: New Commando Force Leads Britain’s Military In Arctic Operations

Army Creating Second Paratrooper Division As Service Forges New Identity For Arctic Troops

Military News:

Soldiers stationed in Alaska will soon ditch the 25th Infantry Division’s “Tropic Lightning” patch and be redesignated the 11th Airborne Division, in what could be an important step in the Army’s recent focus on Arctic warfare.

Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told lawmakers that the move will give units in the state a clear identity. Soldiers there currently fall under the command of U.S. Army Alaska and wear the 25th Infantry Division patch. But that division is mostly associated with units in Hawaii that train for combat in the jungle, the opposite of Alaska’s mission and something leaders and junior soldiers told Military.com has been a point of confusion.

U.S. Army Alaska will be redesignated as the 11th Airborne Division this summer and issued a new patch.

I hope that “a new patch” is not the solution ultimately decided on how to curb the suicide problem.

See also: A Space Internet Experiment For the Arctic Is Among VanHerck’s Priorities

Army’s Suicide Crisis In Alaska Spurs Bipartisan Call For Action

USA Today:

A bipartisan group of lawmakers called on the Army to address its alarming problem of suicide in Alaska, requesting plans to improve living conditions and ensure soldiers have timely access to mental health counselors, a key finding of a USA TODAY investigation into suicide deaths there.

Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., and Alaska’s Republican senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan wrote to Army Sec. Christine Wormuth about the Army’s suicide crisis that is responsible for the confirmed or suspected deaths of 17 soldiers in Alaska in 2021. The total, first reported by USA TODAY in January, is more than the previous two years combined.

“The epidemic of military suicides across America cries out for immediate action, especially in Alaska where twice as many service members died in 2021 compared to 2020,” Speier said in a statement. “I have spoken previously with the spouses and parents of service members who have died by suicide there, as well as other service members and behavioral health care providers overwhelmed with demand in the region.”

An Alarming Number Of Active-Duty Soldiers In Alaska Died By Suicide Last Year

Anchorage Daily News:

The number of U.S. Army Alaska soldiers who died by suicide increased sharply in 2021 even after the military invested millions of dollars to address an identified mental health crisis at the state’s two major bases.

At least 11 soldiers stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and Fort Wainwrightdied by suicide last year. Six more deaths are being investigated as possible suicides.

Top military officials say finding solutions to the worsening problem continues to be a top priority — and that the pandemic seems to have exacerbated existing risk factors.