To Tell the Story
The US Navy is considering whether to deploy submarine-hunting P-8 Poseidon aircraft to a Cold War-era base in Alaska in an effort to keep a closer eye on Chinese and Russian movements in the Arctic.
"Our Russian friends are warming up five airstrips and 10,000 Spetsnaz troops [in the Arctic] for quote unquote search and rescue. The Chinese are up there. Everybody is up there," US Navy Secretary Richard Spencer told lawmakers last week.
"Everybody but us," fired back Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan. {learn more}
The U.S. military has been shifting its focus to preparing for a potential great-power conflict, changing how it uses its weapons and where it operates. For the Marine Corps, that increasingly means getting ready to fight at the top of the world. {learn more}
Bravo 369 Makes History
History made. History in the making.
In 2015, to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, the BRAVO 369 flight team successfully completed a harrowing re-creation flight of the Alaskan-Siberian air route (ALSIB). This dangerous, 6,000 mile route is virtually unknown, but was part of the massive U.S. Lend-Lease Program: a program that provided U.S. allies, including the Soviet Union, with military aircraft and other supplies to defeat the Nazis. [Learn more]
The BRAVO 369 team, flew the original ALSIB route from Great Falls, Montana through Siberia to Moscow in historic, vintage WWII aircraft. The culmination of this massive undertaking, made possible through the cooperation of the U.S., Canada, and Russia, will become a documentary, Warplanes to Siberia, bringing history alive by showcasing the personal stories from 70 years ago and following the modern-day pilots, both American and Russian, to fly this route since World War II.
You Fly, Girl
Shirley Slade sat on the wing of a plane and looked off into an uncertain future. Slade—clad in her flight suit with pigtails guarding against Texas wind—was posing for the July 19, 1943 issue of Life magazine, and the composition between the aircraft and its operator was a juxtaposition spelled out in the cover headline: "Air Force Pilot." [Learn more]
Sending Military Airplanes to Russia
World War 2 USA & Soviet Aircraft Lend/Lease Program
One of the Greatest Logistical Efforts Since Roman Era
a vital support network for the Soviet Union during World War II – something the Russian people celebrate to this day. It is an epic story of cooperation between the United States, Canada, and the Soviet Union and a chapter of history that is untold in modern documentaries to this day.[Learn more]
Photo Lauren di Scipio/AMHM
Alaska Air Guard Trains at Kachemak Bay
HOMER, Alaska — The 210th, 211th, and 212th Rescue Squadrons of the Alaska Air Guard’s 176th Wing trained on water rescue tactics here Sept. 30 to Oct. 1, along with a boat crew as support personnel. While the weather was clear, training happens in most conditions.
Continuous rescue scenario training ensures solidified expertise in both peacetime and wartime search-and-rescue missions. Here in Alaska, water rescues are one of the many complex scenarios rescue personnel must contend with.
“Our commitment to rescue is 24/7, 365, non-stop,” said Maj. Jay Casello, the on-scene commander and combat rescue officer with the 212th RQS. “We have to train hard in very challenging environments to be ready to save lives.” [Learn more]