Under a new manpower plan that will cover the state Guards in all 50 states and 4 territories, Brig. Gen. Brian Kile has explained to Task & Purpose that he may be the commander ends up overseeing the Alaska Air National Guard failing to live up to its commitments.
Though best known for backcountry civilian rescues, the Alaska ANG’s 2,400 members maintain four separate 24/7 air defense missions under U.S. Northern Command.
An Alaska ANG analysis reviewed by Task & Purpose projects that the reductions — even if replacements are found — would cause the Alaska ANG to fall short as much as 50% across four key 24/7 alert missions that Guardsman currently fill: two alerts of specially trained radar operators that scan the air and space of Alaska’s borders for NORAD; and two flying missing — search and rescue and air-to-air refueling.
The hardest hit would be the Alaska ANG’s KC-135 tanker fleet, Kile said. “You’re talking about a 40 to 45 percent reduction in our ability to fly missions.” For the NORAD radar monitoring missions, he said, ”you look at how many people it takes to go on the floor and what we can provide is about, five days a week, 16 hours a day in coverage.” And the rescue teams, he said, might only have alert crews available during working days, Task & Purpose reports.
