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Rain showers this evening changing to mixed rain and snow overnight. Low 34F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 70%..
Rain showers this evening changing to mixed rain and snow overnight. Low 34F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precip 70%.
Updated: April 30, 2024 @ 6:11 pm
Arctic Edge is a North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command exercise scheduled every two years. The exercise focuses on training, experimentation, techniques, tactics and procedures development for Homeland Defense operations in an Arctic environment.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Diana Cossaboom
Arctic Edge is a North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command exercise scheduled every two years. The exercise focuses on training, experimentation, techniques, tactics and procedures development for Homeland Defense operations in an Arctic environment.
U.S. Air Force photo Airman Aaron Guerrisky
Arctic Survival Training students throw branches atop a fire March 22, 2019, at Eielson Air Force Base. The course, also known as “Cool School,” originated in Nome in 1947. Since then thousands of military members and Department of Defense civilian employees have made their way to Alaska to learn how to survive in the Arctic.
Arctic Edge is a North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command exercise scheduled every two years. The exercise focuses on training, experimentation, techniques, tactics and procedures development for Homeland Defense operations in an Arctic environment.
U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Diana Cossaboom
Arctic Edge is a North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command exercise scheduled every two years. The exercise focuses on training, experimentation, techniques, tactics and procedures development for Homeland Defense operations in an Arctic environment.
U.S. Air Force photo Airman Aaron Guerrisky
Arctic Survival Training students throw branches atop a fire March 22, 2019, at Eielson Air Force Base. The course, also known as “Cool School,” originated in Nome in 1947. Since then thousands of military members and Department of Defense civilian employees have made their way to Alaska to learn how to survive in the Arctic.
Active duty Air Force and Space Force personnel stationed in Alaska will receive incentive pay for being stationed in cold locations, including Eielson Air Force Base, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and Clear Space Force Station.
The Air Force announced the roll-out of the incentive pay on Tuesday, in line with legislation pushed forward by Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Sen. Dan Sullivan in 2022.
Single Air Force airmen and Space Force Guardians stationed at Eielson and Clear for at least a year will receive a lump-sum payment of $2,000, while those with a spouse or family will receive $4,000. Those stationed at JBER would receive $1,000 for single personnel and $2,000 for those with a family.
The cold weather pay also applies to personnel stationed at specific installations in North Dakota and Montana.
The guidance documents issued by the Air Force do not list airmen stationed at Eareckson Air Station in the Aleutian Islands as being eligible for the incentive.
For those who are stationed in installations that commonly fall to 50 degrees below zero, the amount can hit $2,500 for single servicemembers and $5,000 for those with dependents. However, neither the Air Force or Space Force have major installations where temps can hit that low.
Cold weather compensation was meant to cover servicemembers’ costs for warm coats, snow tires, engine block heaters and other cold weather essentials to ensure comfort and safety while stationed in Alaska.
“Airmen and Guardians living in extremely cold conditions faced unique out-of-pocket costs,” said Alex Wagner, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, in a news release.
Wagner added that the incentive “comes down to making sure we do our best to take care of our service members and their families stationed at these critical installations.”
Federal funding for the incentive runs through 2026.
Senators get involved
Murkowski and Sullivan commended the Air Force in a joint statement Tuesday.
The Alaska senators, along with North Dakota’s two senators, sent letters to the Air Force, Space Force and the Army in March demanding the services begin launching the cold weather incentive after funding was appropriated last year.
“Cold weather pay is important for the resilience and readiness of our troops and their families serving in some of the coldest parts of our nation,” Sullivan said. “Servicemembers stationed in cold weather locations like Fairbanks and Anchorage are required to carry out their duties and training in temperatures that can dip below -20 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter.”
Murkowski called it a needed step for servicemembers stationed in Alaska who “face drastically different conditions than those in more moderate climates, and accordingly have distinctly different needs.”
“From supplying their families with winter gear, to outfitting the family car with snow tires, Senator Sullivan and I were adamant that their pay reflect these unique challenges while serving in Alaska,” Murkowski said.
According to the Army, soldiers stationed at Fort Wainwright, Fort Greely and JBER already receive incentive pay in a program called Remote and Austere Conditions Assignment Incentive Pay. The Army rolled out the program in 2022, two years before Murkowski and Sullivan successfully pushed their law through Congress.
Soldiers stationed at Fort Wainwright and Greely receive a $2,000 payment — $4,000 for those with families — while those stationed at JBER receive $1,000 and $2,000 respectively based on status.
Contact reporter Jack Barnwell at 907-459-7587 or jbarnwell@newsminer.com.