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NOME, Alaska – U.S. joint forces integrated air and land domain capabilities during Operation TUNDRA MERLIN near Nome, Alaska, Aug. 4 and 6, to signal the joint force’s ability to detect, track, and defeat simulated threats against the homeland.
The operation joined two F-35 Lightning II aircraft, two F-16 Fighting Falcons, and a KC-135 Stratotanker from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, a M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington and a AN/TP Q-53 radar system alongside Soldiers with the 11th Airborne Division. In the Alaskan theater of operations, under the command and control of U.S. Northern Command and Alaskan Command, combat crews exercised offensive and defensive counterair, long-rang precision fires, and aerial refueling in a single, integrated mission.
The mission profile included fighter aircraft advancements to the vicinity of Saint Lawrence Island following aerial refueling by a KC-135 Stratotanker. The mission also featured F-35s and HIMARS synchronization to successfully engage a simulated target approximately 135 miles away. Throughout the mission, F-16s provided defensive counterair protection by intercepting F-35s acting as simulated inbound threats.
“This operation demonstrated the power of an integrated joint force capable of layering effects across the air and land domains to strengthen homeland defense,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert Davis, commander of Alaskan Command, the Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region and Eleventh Air Force. “By synchronizing command and control, airpower and long-range precision fires, we strengthened our ability to posture combat-ready forces, eliminate operational seams and demonstrate the credible combat capability required to deter aggression across the Arctic.”
Operation TUNDRA MERLIN integrates joint and multinational forces across the Alaskan theater of operations to strengthen homeland defense and defend the approaches to North America. Through synchronized campaigning, the operation rapidly integrates combat capabilities, strengthens command and control, and presents credible, combat-ready forces capable of deterring aggression and defeating potential adversaries across the Arctic.
| Date Taken: | 08.06.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 08.07.2026 13:38 |
| Category: | Newscasts |
| Video ID: | 1017929 |
| VIRIN: | 260807-F-LM252-9868 |
| Filename: | DOD_111889343 |
| Length: | 00:01:16 |
| Location: | NOME, ALASKA, US |
| Downloads: | 5 |
| High-Res. Downloads: | 5 |
This work, Joint Force Demonstrates Integrated Air, Land Capabilities for Arctic Homeland Defense, by SSgt Christopher Chen, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
