It’s becoming clear that former Rep. Mary Peltola has no desire to take on Congressman Nick Begich in 2026. She has a handsome six-figure job now with Holland & Hart, a law firm in Anchorage, where she can come and go as she pleases.
But the Democrats still see her as their highest vote getter and are trying to find the best race to run her in.
Last month, a liberal-bent Data for Progress poll queried Alaskans to see if Peltola or Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom would be their choice for governor. Data for Progress does polls and surveys for Democrats. Peltola, the Democrat, bested Dahlstrom, the Republican, in that poll.
This week, Public Policy Polling, another liberal polling company, has tested Peltola for Senate.
In a text poll that went out, Alaskans were asked several questions about Sen. Dan Sullivan. Recipients of the text poll were asked if they think he is a strong or weak leader, if he aligns well with President Trump, or too much with Trump. Finally if, given a choice between Peltola and Sullivan, who they would elect for US Senate? They were then asked who they would vote for if the choice was Sullivan, Peltola, and a third independent candidate.
There were no questions about the congressional race or governor’s race, no mention of Congressman Begich, but there was one question asking whether the participant approves of the job being done by Sen. Lisa Murkowski. And there were a few questions about President Donald Trump’s performance.
Peltola is still the Alaska Democrats’ best hope, but they haven’t yet figured out what is her highest and best use.
President Donald Trump imposed a tariff of 10% on all imports as a baseline, and additional, reciprocal levies on nations like China. His effort is intended to restructure the imbalance of trade that now exists in the world that have put American companies and workers at a disadvantage.
Declaring foreign trade and economic practices a national emergency, Trump ordered that on April 5, the 10% tariff will be imposed. Then on April 9, a higher tariff will be applied to imports from countries with which the United States has the largest trade deficits. The tariffs will remain in place until Trump determines that nonreciprocal trade arrangements and other unfair practices have been addressed.
The trade deficit was $1.2 trillion in 2024. The tariffs are in response to the economic and trade policies of other nations, which include devaluing their currencies and imposing high taxes on American goods.
Trump held up a chart during the outdoor announcement at the White House that shows how the United States has one of the lowest average tariff rates globally, while major trading partners impose massive tariffs on American goods. India imposes 52%, China imposes 67%, and the European Union imposes 39% on American goods. In addition, counterfeit goods, pirated software and stolen trade secrets by communist regimes like China cost the US economy between $225 billion and $699 billion a year.
Trump’s tariffs on China will amount to 54%, as part the additional “reciprocal” levies on “nations that treat us badly.”
Additional tariffs, such as a 25% tariff on all foreign-made and imported auto that takes place at midnight, be rolled out over the coming days.
“Jobs and factories will come roaring back into our country,” Trump said. “This will indeed be the golden age of America.”
Spared from the tariffs are some metals. Steel, copper, gold, and aluminum imports already have a 25% duty on them and won’t be subject to higher reciprocal tariffs. Also exempt from the additional reciprocal tariffs are pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and lumber articles.
“The Senate Bill is just a ploy of the Dems to show and expose the weakness of certain Republicans, namely these four, in that it is not going anywhere because the House will never approve it and I, as your President, will never sign it.” – President Donald Trump
President Donald Trump has slapped back at Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and three other Republicans for their support for a resolution that opposes the Trump Administration’s attempt to balance trade by imposing tariffs on countries that impose tariffs on America. The ultimate goal is free trade, whereas right now the trade is massively unbalance.
“Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Rand Paul, also of Kentucky, will hopefully get on the Republican bandwagon, for a change, and fight the Democrats wild and flagrant push to not penalize Canada for the sale, into our Country, of large amounts of Fentanyl, by Tariffing the value of this horrible and deadly drug in order to make it more costly to distribute and buy,” Trump wrote on TruthSocial. “They are playing with the lives of the American people, and right into the hands of the Radical Left Democrats and Drug Cartels.”
It’s a rare day when a libertarian-leaning conservative like Sen. Rand Paul and a left-leaning senator like Murkowski will see eye to eye. But it’s a case of “politics makes strange bedfellows.”
Democrats have proposed a resolution to bar Trump’s emergency declaration to impose tariffs on Canada and Sen. Rand Paul, of Kentucky said the nation’s free trade policies is what made America a superpower.
“International trade since World War II has made us phenomenally rich. President Trump paints it another way,” Paul said in a Sunday radio interview. “He says, ‘We’ve been taken advantage of.’ But I really strongly disagree because trade has made us so rich and really has made the world a better place. The more we trade … the less we fight.”
Also opposing the tariffs is Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who says it is a tax on families. It appears that between the few Republicans opposing Trump and all the Democrats in the Senate, the resolution to stop Trump’s emergency declaration could pass the Senate.
That wouldn’t stop him from just declaring another one, however. After all, the national debt is approaching $37 trillion.
President Donald Trump said April 2 would be “Liberation Day” in America, as he announced that America will have reciprocal tariffs on countries that apply tariffs to American goods.
Trump spoke directly to Alaskans in his TruthSocial comments.
The Senate Bill is just a ploy of the Dems to show and expose the weakness of certain Republicans, namely these four, in that it is not going anywhere because the House will never approve it and I, as your President, will never sign it,” Trump wrote. “Why are they allowing Fentanyl to pour into our Country unchecked, and without penalty. What is wrong with them, other than suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome, commonly known as TDS? Who can want this to happen to our beautiful families, and why? To the people of the Great States of Kentucky, Alaska, and Maine, please contact these Senators and get them to FINALLY adhere to Republican Values and Ideals,” Trump wrote.
The Democrats are trying to drive a wedge of division through the Republican Party. The only way they can splinter is if the Republicans allow it. Sen. Murkowski is their target because of her predictability in going against nearly anything Trump does.
The Outside money political hit squad calling itself the 907 Initiative is back in the negative advertising game. In this round, the 907 Initiative has produced attack ads and a mailer aimed at pressuring Anchorage House Rep. Mia Costello to support an unaffordable increase in education spending.
The claims on the mailer are shocking, simply shocking (/sarc), accusing her of voting against legislation to reverse Anchorage school cuts. According to the mailer, her vote supports:
Eliminating middle school sports
Eliminative high school hockey, swimming and gymnastics
Eliminating IGNITE
Even bigger class size (over 30 middle schoolers in a class)
What an awful turn of events (/sarc).
This smelled a lot like standard political gamesmanship from Democrats and their dark money backers, where a budget increase that is smaller than what they are demanding is treated as a DOGE-level budget cut.
After a short conversation with Rep. Costello, it turns out my suspicion was correct, as Democrats in the House are demanding a $1,000 increase in the Base Student Allocation — an amount not earned, deserved or affordable.
Last year, the House voted to make a one-time $680 increase in the BSA. We can’t afford that either, but that is another discussion for another time.
The criticism appears to be based on the House vote March 12 to approve HB 69, Education Funding – Increase BSAand send it on to the Senate for action. The legislation contained the $1,000 increase in BSA. It passed with a 24 – 16 vote with Costello and David Nelson being the only two Anchorage House members voting against it, opting instead to support the current $680 increase from last year. This is why they are being targeted by Democrats and their dark money mouthpiece.
The 907 Initiative is telling us that if the extra BSA isn’t approved, Nuclear Winter will set in statewide. Yeah, right.
While I don’t doubt that the Anchorage School District will attempt to inflict as much pain on students and their parents as humanly possible if they don’t get every penny they are demanding, I do know all of the claims made by the 907 Initiative represent little more than threats.
Like most of us, I have a difficult time responding positively to threats, especially threats against children, the only ones educrats and their enablers seem capable of making. It is essentially hostage taking, which is a less than positive business model or a lifestyle choice. Somewhere along the line, Alaskan voters need to put a stop to this little game.
Nowhere in the discussion is anything about our overfunded, failing schools. Nowhere in the discussion is anything about how Alaska has managed to lavishly fund public schools for half a century and ended up with failing students and a public education system that ranks dead last nationwide. Nowhere in the discussion is any acknowledgement or consideration of the simple fact that the single most important thing the legislature can do to improve education is get control of the money as close to students as humanly possible.
Democrats and their hired guns continue to play this little game without political pushback. We are at the point in the education funding game that 1983’s War Gamesarrived at the end of the movie: ”The only winning move is not to play.”
Another way to say this is that if increasing education spending only makes public education worse, perhaps it’s not the level of spending that’s the problem.
Alex Gimarc lives in Anchorage since retiring from the military in 1997. His interests include science and technology, environment, energy, economics, military affairs, fishing and disabilities policies. His weekly column “Interesting Items” is a summary of news stories with substantive Alaska-themed topics. He was a small business owner and Information Technology professional.
Some high-level officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been offered the opportunity to transfer to remote field offices within the Indian Health Service, including locations in Alaska, according to internal emails obtained by several reporters. If they don’t accept reassignment, they may need to be looking for work elsewhere.
The move comes as the Department of Government Efficiency, run by Elon Musk, is reducing personnel across many federal agencies.
In addition to Alaska, there are vacancies in the health services that need to be filled across Indian Country in Western and Great Plain states, including New Mexico, Minnesota, Montana, the Navajo Reservation, and Oklahoma.
“The department is proposing to reassign you as part of a broader effort to strengthen the department,” read an email sent to affected CDC personnel. “One critical area of need is in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. This underserved community deserves the highest quality of service, and HHS needs individuals like you to deliver that service.”
Among those receiving the offers are the chief tobacco regulator at the Food and Drug Administration; a manager at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; a microbiology and infectious disease researcher at NIAID; a director at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; and a director at the CDC’s Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics.
Employees were given until Wednesday at 5 pm to indicate if they will accept a transfer.
The polls have closed in Anchorage. We have results below. These numbers will be updated in coming hours and days. All results on April 1 are preliminary, as mailed-in ballots will continue to arrive in coming days.
Turnout citywide is 16.43% with many ballots still en route. 39,142 ballots have been counted.
Preliminary results are:
Anchorage Assembly Candidates
District 1 – Seat L – North Anchorage
Daniel Volland 56.41%
Nick Danger 8.49%
Daniel George 29.43%
District 2 – Seat A – Chugiak, Eagle River, JBER
Kyle Walker 36.98%
David Littleton 6.51%
Jared Goecker 49.92%
District 3 – Seat D – West Anchorage
Kameron Perez-Verdia 60.58%
Jonathan Duckworth 11.43%
Amie Steen 20.29%
District 4 – Seat F – Midtown Anchorage
Erin Baldwin Day 59.79%
Don Smith 33.91%
District 5 – Seat H – East Anchorage
Angela Frank 21.30%
John Stiegele 20.85%
Yarrow Silvers 47.82%
District 6 – Seat J – South Anchorage, Girdwood, Turnagain Arm
Darin Colbry 7.59%
Keith McCormick 82.50%
Anchorage School Board Candidates
School Board – Seat A
Margo Bellamy 53.60%
Alexander Rosales 38.71%
School Board – Seat B
Mark Anthony Cox 38.09%
Kelly Lessens 54.30%
PROPOSITION NO. 1: CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE ANCHORAGE SCHOOL DISTRICT BONDS PASSED50.65% to 48.19%
PROPOSITION NO. 2: ANCHORAGE ROADS AND DRAINAGE SERVICE AREA ROADS AND STORM DRAINAGE BONDS PASSED 60.91% to 38.17%
PROPOSITION NO. 3: ANCHORAGE PARKS AND RECREATION SERVICE AREA CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT BONDS PASSED54.52% to 44.58%
PROPOSITION NO. 4: ANCHORAGE METROPOLITAN POLICE SERVICE AREA BONDS PASSED 51.17% to 46.86%
PROPOSITION NO. 5: AREAWIDE PUBLIC SAFETY CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT BONDS PASSED56.78% to 42.23%
PROPOSITION NO. 6: SENIOR CENTER AND LIBRARIES CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT BONDS PASSED 57.38% to 40.43%
PROPOSITION NO. 7: ANCHORAGE FIRE SERVICE AREA FIRE PROTECTION BONDS PASSED63.37% to 34.11%
PROPOSITION NO. 8: GIRDWOOD VALLEY SERVICE AREA BONDS – FAILED 45.61% to 49.25%
PROPOSITION NO. 9: CHUGACH STATE PARK ACCESS SERVICE AREA BONDS PASSED 53.59% to 43.89%
PROPOSITION NO. 10: ANCHORAGE ROADS AND DRAINAGE SERVICE AREA SNOW-RESPONSE AND FLEET VEHICLE SPECIAL TAX LEVY PASSED 59.37% TO 38.50
PROPOSITION NO. 11: ANCHORAGE METROPOLITAN POLICE SERVICE AREA POLICE VEHICLE SPECIAL TAX LEVY FAILED 44.19% TO 53.55%
PROPOSITION NO. 12: CHUGIAK, BIRCHWOOD, EAGLE RIVER RURAL ROAD SERVICE AREA (CBERRRSA) MILL RATE ADJUSTMENT FAILED 42.89% TO 54.80%
PROPOSITION NO. 13: APPROVING DE-ANNEXATION OF LOT 2 HUISINGH SUBDIVISION, ACCORDING TO PLAT 77-258, THEREOF, FROM THE TOTEM LIMITED ROAD SERVICE AREA (LRSA) AND AMENDING THE TOTEM LRSA BOUNDARIES IN ANCHORAGE MUNICIPAL CODE SECTION 27.30.700, EFFECTIVE RETROACTIVE TO JANUARY 1, 2025. PASSED 81.08%TO 16.22%
PROPOSITION NO. 14: APPROVING DE-ANNEXATION OF LOTS 1 & 16 BLOCK 2 ELMORE SUBDIVISION, ACCORDING TO PLAT P-635, THEREOF, FROM THE BIRCH TREE/ELMORE LIMITED ROAD SERVICE AREA (LRSA) AND AMENDING THE BIRCH TREE/ELMORE LRSA BOUNDARIES IN ANCHORAGE MUNICIPAL CODE SECTION 27.30.700, EFFECTIVE RETROACTIVE TO JANUARY 1, 2025. PASSED 54.92% TO 40.44%
PROPOSITION NO. 15: APPROVING ANNEXATION OF LOTS 6-18 BLOCK 2, AND LOTS 9-13 BLOCK 3, EQUESTRIAN HEIGHTS SUBDIVISION, ACCORDING TO PLAT 87-14, THEREOF, INTO THE BIRCH TREE/ELMORE LIMITED ROAD SERVICE AREA (LRSA) AND AMEND THE BIRCH TREE/ELMORE LRSA BOUNDARIES IN ANCHORAGE MUNICIPAL CODE SECTION 27.30.700, EFFECTIVE RETROACTIVE TO JANUARY 1, 2025. PASSED 51.09% TO 43.99%
Like the turn of the seasons, we can regularly count on seeing opinion pieces expounding the wisdom of “moving beyond our extractive industries and making a transition to an alternative economy.”
Somehow, this alternative economy is never fully described, although presented in the most sincere and heartfelt, aspirational manner. How real is this goal and what would we compare it to?
When I was Commissioner of Commerce and Economic Development in the early 1990s for Gov. Wally Hickel, I commissioned an input/output model of Alaska’s economy to determine the structure of what really drives our economy.
Such a study entails an analysis of how new money comes into the state annually as personal income. This incoming money is what then drives the service economy. Without this initial input, there would be no service economy, except for those that export services that bring the money back to Alaska such as our Alaska Native Corporation 8(a) operations.
A related study included how many times that incoming money circulates throughout the economy, known as the multiplier effect, and how quickly it leaves, known as leakage.
We have quite a bit of data on the number of jobs per industry that are often cited, but that employmment data does not represent a proportionate percent of annual income. For instance, an industry may have a lot of workers, but their pay level could be low, and they could be seasonal workers who do not live in Alaska and take their wages home with them when they leave.
By comparison, the average wage for a year round miner in Alaska is $116,000 and the multiplier effect for that industry is 3 times turnover. Other industries had a much lower multiplier as low as 1.1.
So, the most important figure to understand our economy, and to guide our economic strategy, is the incoming money which drives the whole rest of the economic system.
At that time in 1991, here was the breakdown:
37% oil and gas, including development, taxes, and Permanent Fund revenues funded by oil
13% fish, timber, mining, and tourism combined
29% federal money, military and civilian
20% income provided to retirees
1% entrepôt (transportation services like Fed Ex, UPS, etc.)
As an important note, the contribution of retirees comes from the payments they receive from 401(k) funds, other retirement accounts and investments, social security payments, etc. Their substantial contribution to the economy, despite being larger than many other industries, is almost never recognized. That is wrong. We should honor our seniors and support them staying in Alaska.
In a subsequent input/output study in 2008, Scott Goldsmith of the University of Alaska Anchorage Institute of Social and Economic Research, found an almost exact income distribution outcome.
Since then, other studies have shown that our economic structure hasn’t changed. To protect our economy, it makes sense to actively support and grow our basic industries instead of intentionally abandoning them as some people are suggesting, while also supporting new opportunities.
So, what is the current state of our economy?
Oil and gas will continue to dominate, with several major productions coming online with billions of development investment. The oil revenue based Permanent Fund will continue to produce distributed earnings. And an increasingly likely and already permitted LNG export project would be a huge plus. But what of our other industries?
Fisheries, while being a major employer, are stuggling due to world market conditions. The industry, as a whole lost $1.8 billion last year. Fisheries can be supplemented by mariculture operations, but this is not enough to build an entire economy upon. Value added processing for higher value products, and more utilization of waste can provide some benefit, but it is recognized that this industry has a long way to go to respond to this crisis.
Mining is a bright spot for the economy, and with the support of the new administration, several major projects should be able to be brought online in the next few years. Markets are strong for Alaskan minerals, especially considering the mineral requirements of alternative energy vehicles and products.
Alaska’s timber industry, the stalwart industry of Southeast Alaska, has been decimated due to regulatory actions of consecutive presidential administrations such as the roadless rule. The new administration has indicated a more supportive direction to allow this renewable sector to provide what will be a substantial, but not overwhelming contribution to the economy.
Alaska’s tourism industry will continue to expand. More Alaskan ownership, local employment, and a focus on winter tourism will help expand the seasonal impact. We should welcome all visitors to Alaska, just as we would want to be welcomed when we go on vacation. And tourism must be presented as an industry that can coexist with the other industries, rather then being used as an excuse for why the other industries should be shut down.
One of the most immediate and effective things Alaska can do to support a resilient economy is the training of our own students and workers to take the jobs required by these industries. If Alaskans are not qualified, these industries have no other option than to hire outside workers.
The uncertainties around federal funding are concerning, but still not completely known. If federal funds to Alaska are cut to reduce the US deficit, we will have to rely even more on our basic industries.
In Alaska, we have addressed some of the leakage problems by expanded provision of services such as health care, but we have lost ground in retail due to internet purchases. On balance, we produce almost none of the goods we regularly consume, and we remain an export based economy. A manufacturing sector would be welcome, but high energy prices, wages, regulations, and logistics have always worked against this Asian country model in Alaska.
All told, Alaska’s Gross Domestic Product is $54 billion in 2023. So, what is going to drive the alternative economy? Those proposing some mythical transition need to provide the details for what can bring new money into the economy. I will be glad to see it. Even if new ideas can provide a limited contribution, they will be welcome, but they will not replace the solid basis that our resource production industries represent, which ultimately drives our service industries.
To be realistic, we need to understand these economic dimensions, and they need to be a part of our education system, so that our children, and theirs, will be ready to embrace and be part of an economy that can provide them a living. Our seniors will be glad to have their grandchildren around.
Paul Fuhs is former Mayor of Unalaska, Former Commissioner of Commerce and Economic Development, and Chairman of the board of AIDEA, the Alaska Energy Authority and the State Bond Bank.
The North Slope is once again booming with activity. Producers are investing billions and introducing new technologies to maximize production from legacy fields like Prudhoe Bay and develop major new oil fields such as Willow and Pikka. Despite four challenging years under the previous federal administration, this energy renaissance has been made possible by a steady tax regime in Alaska that has allowed producers to engage in long-term planning and make substantial long-term investments.
Unfortunately, where many see success and opportunity for new growth, some politicians in Juneau see only an ill-advised opportunity to increase taxes. A legislative proposal currently making its way through the Alaska Legislature, Senate Bill 112, takes direct aim at Alaska’s energy producers by rolling back competitive policies to maximize production. If passed, this proposal would jeopardize investments on the North Slope and take hundreds of millions of dollars away from the projects that promise to strengthen Alaska’s energy future and economy.
Another tax increase making its way through the Legislature, Senate Bill 92, targeting independently owned oil and gas companies, such as Hilcorp, despite them making substantial investments in Prudhoe Bay, Milne Point, and in the Cook Inlet while others were pulling back and leaving the state. Even after SB92’s primary sponsor withdrew their support, this bill continues to loom as a threat to Alaska’s business and investment climate.
While addressing the state’s budget challenges is necessary, targeting the oil and gas industry—the very sector driving economic growth—is counterproductive and shortsighted.
Alaska’s oil tax structure, which generates significant revenues in the form of property taxes, royalty payments, and production taxes, has been crafted to encourage production and growth. Industry experts have made it clear –– it is simply unrealistic to expect North Slope operators to absorb hundreds of millions in new taxes without impacting investment.
The timing couldn’t be worse. Alaska is competing globally for energy dollars in an environment where money flows to areas that offer the most favorable investment environment. Other states like Texas and North Dakota already offer more competitive tax structures on a product that is easier to get out of the ground. Adding new tax burdens would diminish Alaska’s appeal at a critical moment when federal policies under President Trump’s administration are finally becoming more favorable for domestic energy production.
With opportunities for new LNG exports to East Asian markets through renewed support for the $44 billion Alaska LNG pipeline project, this is precisely when Alaska should be strengthening its position as an energy leader, not undermining it. Alaska has an opportunity to be the driving engine behind President Trump’s energy dominance agenda.
Production on the North Slope is projected to increase from 466,000 barrels per day to 643,000 barrels over the next nine years—a direct result of the stable tax environment that has encouraged investment. Major developments like the Willow and Pikka fields represent billions in new investment that will generate substantial revenue without changing tax rates.
Alaskans understand this reality, which is why they have repeatedly rejected oil tax increases at the ballot box. In 2020, voters soundly defeated a ballot initiative to raise taxes on legacy oil fields by more than 15 percentage points— affirming Alaskans’ long standing desire for increased production and a robust economy.
Many in the Legislature understand this too. As a unified group of lawmakers recently put it in an op-ed, “Today, we face a critical decision: embrace new investment opportunities that promise economic growth, or push them away with misguided tax increases that threaten Alaska’s future.”
Despite this clarity by some lawmakers in Juneau, others continue to advance major tax proposals aimed squarely at Alaska’s most important industry. Instead of expanding the economic pie, these efforts focus on extracting more from the very companies that are creating jobs, investing in communities, and driving long-term economic growth.
With enormous optimism on the horizon, Alaska’s energy sector needs stability and certainty. Fiscal sustainability will come from growing the economy—not shrinking it with misguided tax hikes that undermine momentum and discourage investment.
Thomas Pyle is the President of the American Energy Alliance.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has ended Biden-era practice of having lower physical fitness standards for women who are in combat units. The standards for combat have been returned to one standard, which all applicants must meet.
Pete Hegseth’s order says that standards must be “sex neutral.” Military leadership must implement these new standards by October, he said.
“The United States military’s strength is rooted in its unwavering commitment to high standards that foster discipline, unity, and purpose. It is these principles that have made our fighting force the most formidable in the world. As the nature of warfare evolves and the demands on our Service members grow more complex, it is imperative that we assess and refine the physical fitness standards that enable our readiness and lethality,” Hegeth wrote in his order.
“Sex-Neutral Standards. All entry-level and sustained physical fitness requirements within combat arms positions must be sex-neutral, based solely on the operational demands of the occupation and the readiness needed to confront any adversary. In establishing those standards, the Secretaries of the Military Departments may not establish standards that would result in any existing Service member being held to a lower standard,” his directive says. He added as a handwritten footnote that no existing standard would be lowered in the process.
During the past few years of the Biden Administration., women were failing the Army annual fitness tests, so the Army lowered the grading standard for them and for older service members. The Marines also had lowered their standards for women, and some argued that this puts all combat troops at risk, especially for those who are assigned to the same unit as women who cannot meet the physical demands of the job.
How this new order will be implemented throughout the services remains to be seen. Last week, the Army announced that sit-ups were no longer part of its testing regime.
Instead, the new Ranger requirements are as follows:
Wearing combat uniforms and boots, soldiers must complete the following in 14 minutes:
An 800-meter run.
30 dead-stop push-ups.
A 100-meter sprint.
16 lifts of 40-pound sandbags placed on a 68-inch-high platform.
50-meter “farmers’ carry” of two 40-pound water cans.
A 25-meter high crawl
A 25-meter three-to-five second rush.
Another 800-meter run.
After that, the soldiers seeking to be Rangers must change into their running gear and run four miles in 32 minutes — 8-minute miles — followed by performing six chin-ups. An 8-minute mile for a woman puts her in an elite category. Fewer than 30% of female runners can keep that pace for four miles.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski offered no comment on the new military policy, although last week was quick to criticize Hegseth, whose confirmation she had quite vocally opposed.
