Military Looks to Expand Alaska Training Areas

Federal military agencies are studying whether to expand military operations areas in central Alaska and designate several existing areas for a variety of specific new uses.

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By Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Story Created: Jan 18, 2011 at 3:05 PM AKDT

Story Updated: Jan 18, 2011 at 3:24 PM AKDT

FAIRBANKS - Federal military agencies are studying whether to expand military operations areas in central Alaska and designate several existing areas for a variety of specific new uses.

An environmental impact statement will be written to describe the effects of potential changes to the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex, as Alaska training areas are known collectively. The military has scheduled several public meetings this month in Alaska communities to identify issues that need to be addressed.

The proposal includes two expansions of the existing Fox 3 military airspace designation in the Copper River Basin. The expansions would cover the Black Rapids area in the central Alaska Range, the Paxson and eastern Denali Highway areas, the Lake Louise area and a chunk of the Talkeetna Mountains.

"The Air Force and Army propose to expand the Fox 3 MOA and establish a new, adjacent Paxson MOA to provide the vertical and horizontal airspace structure needed to better accommodate low-altitude threat and multiple-axis mission activities during JPARC training exercises," according to a summary in the Dec. 8 Federal Register.

The proposal also would make several specific changes to military uses in the Tanana, Donnelly and Yukon training areas near Fairbanks and Delta Junction. Among them are unmanned aerial vehicle corridors between Fort Wainwright, Eielson Air Force Base and Fort Greely.

Scoping meetings scheduled for the Interior include:

  • Wednesday, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Alaska Steakhouse and Hotel, 1420 Alaska Highway, Delta Junction.
  • Thursday, noon- 2 p.m. and 4-8 p.m. at the Princess Fairbanks Hotel, 4477 Pike's Landing, Fairbanks.
  • Monday, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Motel Nord Haven, 249 Parks Highway, Healy.

For more information online, go to http://www.jparceis.com/jparc.aspx.

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