U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan has announced that his years of work have finally paid off in getting Air Force refueling tankers to Alaska. The U.S. Air Force will station four KC-135 refueling aircraft at Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks. This long-awaited decision fulfills a commitment made by the Air Force in March 2021, but delayed for over three years.
The announcement came after persistent advocacy from Sullivan, who has spent more than a decade urging senior military officials to address Alaska’s aerial refueling capability gap. The KC-135 aircraft are critical for supporting Alaska’s growing fleet of fighter jets and securing U.S. airspace amidst increasing threats from adversaries.
“The Air Force has dramatically increased the fighter assets in Alaska in recent years, yet the necessary supporting refueling force has remained stagnant,” Sen. Sullivan said in a statement. “This strain on our refueling mission is unacceptable given the critical importance of Alaska as the hub of air combat power for the Arctic and entire Indo-Pacific, and the increasing aggression from our adversaries off Alaska’s coastline.”
Alaska is home to the largest concentration of fifth-generation fighters in the world, with 54 F-35A fighter jets based at Eielson Air Force Base, in addition to the state’s F-16 Aggressor Squadron and six F-22s stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. These assets are essential for responding to a surge in incursions into the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone, including six incidents this year alone.
One of the most significant threats occurred in July, when Alaska-based F-16s and F-35s, along with Canadian CF-18s, intercepted a joint Russian-Chinese bomber formation of aircraft off Alaska’s coast, the first time such coordination between Russia and China had been observed near Alaska.
Decade of Advocacy Pays Off
Sen. Sullivan has repeatedly highlighted the need for additional refueling capacity to support Alaska’s unique operational demands. The state’s vast training ranges, harsh environment, and the long distances required to intercept potential threats make aerial refueling a cornerstone of its defense strategy.
“The KC-135 tankers are not just an upgrade—they are a necessity,” Sullivan said. “Over the course of just two months this year, Alaska-based Airmen intercepted six incursions into the ADIZ, each requiring a nearly 2,000-mile roundtrip sortie. These aircraft will ensure we have the resources to respond to escalating threats from adversaries like Russia and China.”
Sullivan’s advocacy included pressing every Secretary of Defense and Air Force since his election to the Senate, as well as hosting numerous high-ranking officials in Alaska to witness the state’s strategic importance firsthand.
Timeline of Delays
In March 2021, the Air Force committed to basing four KC-135 tankers at Eielson by fiscal year 2023. However, the delivery was repeatedly delayed, prompting Sullivan to write a letter to Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall on October 8, 2024, expressing frustration over the delay.
In his letter, Sullivan emphasized the strain on Alaska’s refueling operations and the urgent need to deliver on promises made three years earlier.
Local Community impacts
The arrival of the KC-135s will also bring 220 active-duty personnel and their families to Eielson Air Force Base.
“This is a win for Alaska and America’s national security,” Sullivan said. “We look forward to welcoming these critical aircraft, personnel, and their families to our great state and continuing to strengthen our nation’s defense posture in this vital region.”
With this long-overdue decision, Alaska further solidifies its role as a linchpin in U.S. military strategy for the Arctic and Indo-Pacific regions.
Actually, wasn’t it in March of 2021 when lisa don and dan sent the letter?
About time. Great work, Sullivan. Really. The existing tanker fleet was stretched thin. Now they’ll get some depth. Fighters and bombers are sexy and testosterone-inducing, but the Air Force travels on JP8. The only way to get it where those warbirds need it is in a KC135, KC10 or KC46. Best .mil news all year.
But what about the climate change? Won’t this cause the ice to melt all summer long?
Where are the electric planes with the fireproof batteries like the government wants us to use?
On a good note after 10 years we have a few more jobs now.
Dan Sullivan can also take credit for 1,000,000 dead Ukrainians. Well done Dan!!!
Your comment is spot on. 1 million and counting, the pressure from Washington now is to Shanghai 18 year olds off the streets and feed them into the meat grinder.
The provision of the long term healthcare needs of millions of amputee invalids and severe PTSD cases by the shattered Ukrainian society will never be addressed.
There are no kickbacks and incentives for Senator Sullivan’s MIC donors from funds allocated to essential care for shattered bodies, families and lives. So we won’t see any expenditures in this category.
Funding the continuance of the provision of weapons to maintain it do pay off well, and so we see a feverish paced increase before the total collapse of the Kiev regime.
This summer when I ran into our Senator from Ohio and asked him about the Ukraine war he was absolutely gleeful about it. It was awesome in his eyes to have someone killing Russians and we didn’t have to do it. I was taken aback by the twinkle in his eye. I wonder if Ukraine families are so gung-ho about it. It is a mighty sick person to enjoy the death of others. Not to mention we are beyond bankrupt and those pesky Russians have nuclear arms.
Agreed. Hide the bad with some deeds of “good.”
“54 F-35A fighter jets”, how many of these are currently airworthy at any given moment, and of those, how many are in a combat reliable condition? Maybe 10?
The F-35 project has been the most expensive failure in world history of military ependitures.
The cost to the national debt to create and maintain 220 government jobs in support of a massive failed project is prohibitive.
If Sullivan had been effective in DC, he would have reigned in the regime he is a part of, and seen to the approval of access roads to our mineral deposits that create actual, useful commodities and productive jobs that don’t cost billions in public debt to create, saddling our youth to paying it off.
“Respond to escalating threats from adversaries like Russia and China.”
It is our government that continually escalates tensions in Europe and the Indo Pacific by toppling governments and conducting proxy wars of aggression in the vain attempt to maintain the world hegemony myth that commenced in 1991.
The inevitable consequences of our policies of full scale military and economic aggression against Russia and China result in those countries building their economies, militaries and alliances to counter us, the 2nd largest holder of thermonuclear weapons.
For any rational person anywhere on earth, recognizing that our country pretends that the senile, incoherent president is actually in control, knowing that it is absolute idiots like Blinkin, Austin and other incompetents is an existential threat to human life everywhere.
National Security is securing our borders with our military, deporting individuals without visas, building self sufficiency in industry and real energy production while identifying real diplomats to engage foreign countries peacefully.
Actually the F-35 has delivered exactly what the military industrial complex wanted. It has spread the business across the country to many congressional districts. If you didn’t get the chance to manufacture some part you get the planes stationed there, thus Alaska. We don’t really have an adversary that we have not manufactured to fly them against so operations are immaterial. While diabolical you have to hand it to Deep State Dan and his buddies in the MIC on their effectiveness.
Eielson AFB already has KC-135’s stationed there, in the form of the 168 Air Refueling Wing courtesy of the Alaska Air National Guard. Sounds like duplication of effort, to me. Unless DoD has a plan in the works to upgrade this contingent of 4 KC-135’s to a newer airframe such as the KC-46 somewhere down the road, why not just assign 4 more aircraft and the bodies to support them, to the 168th and eliminate the “overhead” needed to support a new unit?
“…in addition to the state’s F-16 Aggressor Squadron…” the 18 Aggressor Sq. no longer exists. They are now, and have been for a few months, the 18 Fighter Interceptor Sq.
kind surprised they didn’t move the tankers to some favoredCongresscritter’s district far away from the aircraft that they service. Like when te ones in Portland for their Guard F15s got sent to someplace like Wyoming ” for efficiency “
Thank you Senator Sullivan! You are the only active working Senator this state has for the time being. I hope this is very successful!
Lisa is in on it too regardless of interweb media cutting her out.
They wish to start WW III, yet they don’t prepare for it.
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