Pentagon conducts rapid deployment to Alaska amid Pacific tensions

The US Army has swiftly deployed weapons and troops to the remote tip of Alaska in a sudden demonstration of military capability amid the ongoing Pacific tensions.

The force projection event, which began this week in the North Pacific, sends a message to adversaries at a time when key rivals Russia and China are conducting joint naval drills in the Pacific, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

In an exclusive interview with Business Insider, the Army's 11th Airborne Division commander Maj. Gen. Joseph Hilbert said that the event demonstrates US Army Pacific's ability to move assets adeptly and with little notice into even the most remote locations.

"The Army looks at us to be Arctic experts," Hilbert said, and as a part of US Army Pacific,"we've got to be ready to operate in the region as a part of the land power there."

For the event, the 11th Airborne Division pulled together a range of capabilities from across the US Army, including a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System platoon from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington, communications equipment from Hawaii, and a target acquisition radar and an infantry security force from the 11th Airborne Division. The number of soldiers deployed was around 130 for this exercise.

The Alaska Air National Guard and the Air Force transported the various weapons and assets.

"Bringing these forces together," Hilbert explained, "demonstrates to any adversary that we can deploy anywhere with little notice. We can suddenly create a dilemma," he said, "and we can do that with significant firepower, and we can do it as a joint force."

The Alaska Air National Guard and the Air Force transported the various weapons and assets.

"Bringing these forces together," Hilbert explained, "demonstrates to any adversary that we can deploy anywhere with little notice. We can suddenly create a dilemma," he said, "and we can do that with significant firepower, and we can do it as a joint force."

The exercise, which will continue into next week, is also highly visible to US friends and foes alike. There is a lot of discussion around the need to conceal the signatures of forces and weapons and hide them within the electromagnetic spectrum. That wasn't done here, as the event was purposefully overt. The Army wasn't hiding this.

The intended aim was to show that these capabilities are readily deployable, even in unexpected places. It's also a signal of readiness to US allies and partners, Hilbert said.

The Army exercise is being carried out in the Aleutian Islands, an island chain extending from Alaska's southernmost edge out into the Bering Sea and Northern Pacific Ocean. More specifically, the exercise is being held on Shemya Island.

Alaska is a large, complex, and challenging environment that requires soldiers to develop various Arctic warfare skills.

News.Az