Alaska Gov. Bill Walker met Thursday in Washington, D.C., with Pentagon officials to make a case for maintaining current troop levels in the state.
Walker stressed Alaska’s strategic importance, especially with Russia enhancing its military presence in the Arctic, he said in a phone interview.
Walker also met with White House staff to work on logistics of President Obama’s trip to Alaska next month. Walker plans to speak to the president about the importance of a proposed natural gas pipeline that could move North Slope gas to market. He will also bring up infrastructure that could enhance energy development and access for new wells, he said.
Army officials announced two weeks ago that they planned a reduction of 2,631 paratrooper positions at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage and 75 troops at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks.
Walker on Thursday reviewed criteria for making cuts with Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy and environment, and in a separate meeting, her Air Force equivalent. “This is all being driven not by military strategy, it’s being driven by sequestration, funding limitations. They all expressed their strong preference to not be making the cuts they’re making.”
Russia, he said, is reopening 10 Arctic bases and building four new ones. “It makes me very nervous that the Russians are increasing their presence in the Arctic while we’re reducing ours,” he said. “It doesn’t seem like a good fit.”
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