Photo By Senior Airman Nicholas Paczkowski | U.S. Air Force Col. Matthew Johnston, 354th Fighter Wing commander, center right,...... read more read more
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Military leaders, state and municipal representatives, industry executives, and academic partners gathered for the 2026 Alaska Defense Forum in Fairbanks, Alaska, Aug. 24–26, 2026.
The Alaska Defense Forum is an annual conference dedicated to building and sustaining partnerships between military installations and local communities. Because of its strategic location, Alaska plays a pivotal role in homeland defense and national security operations across the Indo-Pacific and Arctic regions.
“We already have a strong partnership with the community and the state,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Matthew Johnston, 354th Fighter Wing commander. “The ADF is a great place to ensure everyone is on the same [page] with an understanding of what we’re doing and our plans for the future.”
Discussions throughout the three-day forum focused on how emerging operational missions, technological modernization, and major defense investments interact with regional infrastructure. In a remote operating environment like Alaska, military installations and surrounding municipalities rely on shared utilities, transportation corridors, airfields, housing markets, and civilian workforces.
“Alaska is a defense state, but our military installations and communities do not operate independently from one another,” said Brittany Smart, University of Alaska Fairbanks senior advisor for defense communities’ research. “We rely on much of the same infrastructure, workforce, energy systems, transportation networks, businesses, and services. In a state as large, remote, and expensive to operate in as Alaska, we cannot afford to plan for those needs in isolation.”
The forum provided a collaborative venue for civic and military leaders to evaluate emerging security challenges and forecast future operational requirements while addressing quality-of-life and logistical issues affecting both service members and residents.
“The ADF is useful in that it is a great time to really focus on issues that are important to the base, joint force, and local community,” Johnston said. “The forum allows us to look at what the needs are now and to also forecast out; however, a lot of these things involve all of us working together, whether it’s energy or housing — it’s a team effort.”
In addition to formal panel sessions, the ADF facilitated two-way dialogue between Department of the Air Force leadership and Alaska state officials. Leaders emphasized that collaborative forums help eliminate organizational barriers, turning shared interests into actionable infrastructure initiatives.
“Alaska plays a critical role in our national security strategy, and the decisions and investments tied to that role have lasting impacts on our communities, infrastructure, and overall economy,” Smart said. “ADF is the only gathering in Alaska dedicated to bringing those perspectives together to identify opportunities, address challenges, and advance efforts that support national security priorities while creating lasting benefits for Alaska.”
| Date Taken: | 08.26.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 09.03.2026 14:56 |
| Story ID: | 573914 |
| Location: | EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, ALASKA, US |
| Web Views: | 22 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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