Alaska has roughly a dozen military bases in Alaska spread across the state, hosting every major branch along with the Space Force and Coast Guard. About 20,000 active-duty service members are stationed there, and the military-affiliated population tops 40,000 when dependents are counted. The main installations are Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Eielson Air Force Base and Fort Wainwright near Fairbanks, the missile-defense sites at Fort Greely and Clear Space Force Station, and Coast Guard commands at Kodiak, Valdez, and Juneau.
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson
JBER sits inside the Municipality of Anchorage and is Alaska’s largest military installation. The base supports more than 40,000 military-affiliated personnel, over ten percent of Anchorage’s population. It is a true joint base, with Air Force and Army components operating side by side.
On the Air Force side, JBER hosts the 3rd Wing, the largest unit within 11th Air Force, providing air superiority, surveillance, worldwide airlift, and combat support. The 176th Wing of the Alaska Air National Guard also flies from the base, and the 673d Air Base Wing runs day-to-day operations in support of air sovereignty, combat training, and force staging.1Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Air Force Units
The Army side is home to the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) of the 11th Airborne Division, the Army’s only division built around Arctic warfare.2Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Army Units That combination makes JBER a hub for both air power and ground combat readiness.
Eielson Air Force Base
Eielson lies about 26 miles southeast of Fairbanks and is the northernmost fighter wing in the U.S. Air Force. The 354th Fighter Wing is the host unit and flies F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters for Pacific Air Forces. It is supported by the 168th Air Refueling Group of the Alaska Air National Guard, which operates KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft.3MilitaryINSTALLATIONS. Eielson AFB
Eielson also runs PACAF’s largest air-to-ground bombing range complex and hosts Red Flag-Alaska, the Pacific’s premier large-force combat training exercise. Alaska’s vast restricted airspace gives pilots room to train at scales that would be impossible in the lower 48.4Eielson Air Force Base. 354th Fighter Wing
Fort Wainwright
Fort Wainwright, next to Fairbanks, is home to the 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the 11th Airborne Division. The brigade reflagged under the 11th Airborne in June 2022, when the Army reactivated the division after 57 years of dormancy.511th Airborne Division. 1st Infantry Brigade The reactivation followed the Army’s 2021 strategy calling for renewed Arctic dominance, and the 11th Airborne remains the only U.S. division built specifically for cold-weather warfare.
Fort Wainwright also hosts the Northern Warfare Training Center, which trains U.S. forces and coalition partners to operate well below zero, cross glaciers and mountain terrain, and sustain themselves in conditions that would stop unprepared units cold.611th Airborne Division. Northern Warfare Training Center The center began receiving Cold Weather All-Terrain Vehicles in 2023 to replace decades-old platforms.
Fort Greely
Fort Greely, about 100 miles southeast of Fairbanks, is the primary operational site for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system. Soldiers of the 49th Missile Defense Battalion operate ground-based interceptors designed to destroy intercontinental ballistic missiles mid-flight. The installation currently fields 40 interceptors, with 20 new silos recently completed to bring total capacity to 60.7U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. 100th Missile Defense Brigade Site preparation for the Next Generation Interceptor is expected to begin at Fort Greely in 2026, with potential deployment as early as 2029.8Vandenberg Space Force Base. Missile Defense Agency Next Generation Interceptor Environmental Assessment
Fort Greely is also home to the U.S. Army Cold Regions Test Center, the Department of Defense’s only natural-environment cold-weather testing organization. The CRTC plans and runs cold-weather testing for every military branch, other government agencies, allied nations, and private industry.9Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Cold Regions Test Center
Clear Space Force Station
Clear Space Force Station, about 75 miles southwest of Fairbanks, is operated by the U.S. Space Force. The 13th and 213th Space Warning Squadrons provide round-the-clock missile warning, missile defense, and space domain awareness from the station.10Alaska National Guard. Alaska Welcomes Newest Space Force Station in Renaming of Clear
In December 2025, the Space Force accepted operational control of the Long Range Discrimination Radar at Clear. The LRDR is built to distinguish actual warheads from decoys and debris during an attack, feeding precision tracking data into the Ground-based Midcourse Defense fire control system and shortening reaction time against multiple long-range threats at once.11USSF Combat Forces Command. Combat Forces Command Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) Operational Acceptance
Coast Guard Bases
The Coast Guard carries a heavy load in Alaska, driven by 34,000 miles of coastline, major oil infrastructure, and growing Arctic maritime traffic. The Navy operates in Alaskan waters for surveillance and exercises but keeps no large permanent shore installations in the state, so the Coast Guard fills that gap.
Coast Guard Base Kodiak, on Kodiak Island about 250 miles southwest of Anchorage, is the largest Coast Guard command in both the Arctic District and the entire Pacific Area. Its Air Station runs search and rescue, fisheries law enforcement, and logistic support for outlying units from Barrow to Shemya in the western Aleutians.12United States Coast Guard. Air Station Kodiak
Marine Safety Unit Valdez covers Prince William Sound and the Valdez Marine Terminal where the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System ends. Its Vessel Traffic Center exists specifically because of the pipeline and monitors tanker movements to prevent oil spills. Four security zones are maintained within the sound, including zones around the terminal and around transiting tankers.13United States Coast Guard. U.S. Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Center Valdez
Sector Southeast Alaska, headquartered in Juneau, covers more than 2,000 islands and 10,000 miles of shoreline with over 300 personnel across eleven field commands and detachments.14United States Coast Guard. Sector Southeast Alaska
Why So Many Bases
Alaska is the only U.S. state within the Arctic and the only one with territory less than three miles from Russian soil. That proximity, plus opening Arctic sea routes and growing competition for Arctic resources, puts Alaska’s installations at the center of U.S. defense planning. The state is a forward position for deterrence and rapid deployment into both the Arctic and the Indo-Pacific.
NORAD’s Alaskan region regularly intercepts Russian military aircraft that enter the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone, and remote airfields such as King Salmon Airport are used for agile combat employment, letting fighters launch from dispersed locations if primary bases come under threat.15North American Aerospace Defense Command. Alaskan NORAD Region Conducts Agile Combat Employment From King Salmon Arctic Edge 2026, held in February and March of that year, brought NORAD, U.S. Northern Command, Canadian and Danish forces, the Alaska National Guard, and interagency partners together across Anchorage, Kodiak, Fairbanks, and Kotzebue to work on cruise missile defense, protection of civilian infrastructure, and counter-drone operations.16North American Aerospace Defense Command. NORAD and U.S. Northern Command to Conduct Arctic Edge 2026
The money is following the mission. The Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act authorized $292 million in new military construction for Alaska, on top of $441 million in military construction appropriations passed earlier that year, covering runway upgrades, housing, and missile defense infrastructure.17Senator Dan Sullivan. Final FY 2026 Defense Bill Includes 19 Sullivan Provisions, Prioritizes Alaska
Can the Public Visit
Alaska’s bases are not open to the general public. Civilians can visit only if sponsored by someone with base access. At JBER, a sponsor can request a visitor pass through the Visitor Control Center in person, by adding the visitor to a 72-hour log in advance, or by submitting a request through the military’s secure network online. Visits of 60 days or less use a standard pass; longer stays require a separate worksheet, and non-U.S. citizens visiting unofficially need a worksheet that can take up to four weeks to process.18Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. Base Access You will also need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or an accepted alternative such as a U.S. passport, a DoD-issued ID, or a trusted traveler card like Global Entry.19Defense Travel Management Office. REAL ID Required for U.S. Travelers Beginning May 7, 2025