FAIRBANKS, Alaska, Aug. 27, 2026 — The 2026 Alaska Defense Forum brought military, government, academic and industry participants to Fairbanks this week for a program centered on a broad definition of readiness: the forces and weapons needed for national defense, along with the energy, infrastructure, logistics, research capacity and community support that sustain them.
The Aug. 24-26 forum, held at the 8 Star Events Center, carried the theme “Readiness in Action.” It was organized by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute with the Fairbanks Economic Development Corp. and the Association of Defense Communities. [1] [2]
The Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies participated in the opening session, “Why Alaska? Why Now?: Security, Strategy, and the Arctic,” according to a post published by the center on Aug. 26. The post identified Larry Hinzman of UAF, retired Maj. Gen. Randy Kee, the center’s director, Janae Cooley of the center and Larry Dobbs of Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. It did not describe individual remarks or announce new policy decisions. [3]
The session’s published description placed Alaska at the center of homeland defense, Arctic security and global power projection. Its agenda cited growing Arctic competition, long-range threats and changing defense priorities as factors shaping the missions, investments and partnerships under discussion. [2]
That framing aligns with the Defense Department’s 2024 Arctic Strategy, which calls the North American Arctic the northern approaches to the U.S. homeland and identifies Alaska as home to significant defense infrastructure. The strategy directs a “monitor-and-respond” approach, supported by improvements in Arctic capabilities, partnerships and exercises. It highlights domain awareness, missile warning, communications, infrastructure, cold-weather mobility and force readiness as related requirements. [4] [5]
MISSILE DEFENSE AND THE NORTHERN APPROACH
The forum agenda connected that strategic context to operational systems already based in the state. Its first-day program offered a Fort Greely tour that included a command briefing and a windshield tour of the Missile Defense Complex. [2]
Fort Greely is a central component of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system. The Army’s 100th Missile Defense Brigade operates the system in support of U.S. Northern Command. Its 49th Missile Defense Battalion, located at Fort Greely, operates and secures the system as part of the mission to defend the United States against intercontinental ballistic missile attack. [6]
The Alaska National Guard has described the Fort Greely mission as a continuous operation supported by missile-defense crews and security forces. The Guard said the installation’s location supports intercept opportunities for threats traveling over the Arctic from Asia or the Pacific. [7]
The forum’s agenda also included a session titled “Missile Defense: Opportunities for Alaska.” Its description focused on research, testing, manufacturing, workforce development and operational capability. The forum materials did not identify new funding awards, program decisions or procurement actions associated with the session. [2]
ENERGY, INFRASTRUCTURE AND MISSION ASSURANCE
Energy resilience was another central forum theme. The agenda included a tour of Interior Alaska power infrastructure, sessions on future power and a public town hall on the Eielson Air Force Base microreactor project. [2]
The Department of the Air Force has selected Eielson as its preferred location for a microreactor pilot because of the installation’s infrastructure, geographic location and mission-assurance requirements. The proposed project would use a third-party-owned reactor under a 30-year power-purchase agreement and could provide up to 5 megawatts of electricity and thermal energy to critical base infrastructure, according to the project’s official webpage. [8]
The Air Force and Defense Logistics Agency issued a Notice of Intent to Award to Oklo Inc. in May 2025. The notice began negotiations for a potential contract but did not constitute a final award. The project remains subject to Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing requirements. [8] [9]
The forum agenda treated energy as an operational requirement rather than an isolated utility issue. Its power sessions examined generation, fuel delivery, transmission capacity and long-term investment. The description of the Eielson town hall said the forum would provide public updates and a question-and-answer session on the microreactor project. [2]
READINESS BEYOND THE INSTALLATION FENCE
Forum programming extended the same logic to housing, transportation, communications, food security, wildfire response and shared civilian-military infrastructure. A UAF announcement before the event described the theme as a focus on practical partnerships, investments and solutions that support both military missions and the communities that enable them. [1]
Brittany Smart, a senior adviser for defense communities research at the UAF Geophysical Institute, said in that announcement that military readiness in Alaska depends on communities, reliable infrastructure and support for the people who carry out the mission. She also noted that airstrips, ports and other infrastructure can serve both civilian and defense needs. [1]
The agenda translated that approach into sessions on community-installation partnerships, northern construction challenges, Intergovernmental Support Agreements, military-family housing, science and technology, dual-use innovation and wildfire response. [2]
The forum’s programming did not resolve the state’s readiness requirements or set federal policy. It did, however, present Alaska’s defense role as a system of linked operational missions and civilian enablers. In that system, the northern approach, missile defense, resilient power, research and local infrastructure are treated as related elements of readiness. [1] [2] [4]
RESEARCH BASE
| Area | Verified finding | Primary source |
|---|---|---|
| Forum | The forum was held Aug. 24-26 in Fairbanks under the theme “Readiness in Action.” | Alaska Defense Forum and UAF [1] [2] |
| Arctic policy | The 2024 Arctic Strategy identifies Alaska’s defense infrastructure and prioritizes monitoring, warning, communications, resilience and partnerships. | Defense Department [4] [5] |
| Missile defense | The 49th Missile Defense Battalion at Fort Greely operates and secures the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system. | U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command [6] |
| Energy resilience | Eielson is the Air Force’s preferred site for a proposed microreactor pilot, which remains subject to regulatory licensing. | Eielson Air Force Base [8] [9] |
REFERENCES
[2] Alaska Defense Forum, “Alaska Defense Forum 2026 Agenda”
[3] Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies, “Readiness in Action” LinkedIn post, Aug. 26, 2026
[4] Department of Defense, 2024 Arctic Strategy, June 21, 2024
[6] U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, “100th Missile Defense Brigade”
[8] Eielson Air Force Base, “Microreactor Pilot”
AI generated.