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Northern Edge

Northern Edge 2001

Alaskan Command conducted Northern Edge 2001 from March 19 to March 20, 2001, with nearly 10,000 military personnel, 90 various aircraft and 8 naval ships. The scenario for the exercise facilitated unit level training, theater engagement, and joint operations in a cold climate. Additionally, the naval exercise emphasized joint and combined port security and harbor defense operations in a friendly host nation. The highlight of the naval exercise, for the second year in a row, was the use of trained dolphins to help detect underwater intruders.

Lt. Gen. Norton Schwartz, Alaskan Command commander, discussed how the scenario capitalized on units working together to achieve their objectives. "Coast Guard, Marines and Navy personnel relied on one another in the port security scenario, for example, and Army and Air Force personnel depended on each other in the mass tactical airdrop, where 18 aircraft air-dropped 350 soldiers with their supporting artillery. After insertion, Air Force strike packages prepared the 'battlefield' for follow-on ground force operations. In short, we worked the art of joint warfare in Northern Edge this year."

Major air and ground maneuvers took place at Eielson AFB and in training areas southeast of Fairbanks, with supporting missions also launching from Elmendorf AFB. The flying portion of Northern Edge included precision strikes and close air support, as well as tactical airlift support. Exercise officials anticipated more than 950 aircraft missions, also known as sorties, would be flown.

Ground maneuvers featured the full range of service capabilities including day and night airborne operations, Non-Combatant Evacuation operations, Special Forces operations and live-fire events. The naval portion of the scenario tested the ability of military troops to secure and defend a port and conduct a coordinated evacuation of non-military personnel in an orderly and efficient manner. Sitka Harbor served as the backdrop for the maritime activities, which centered on protecting the visiting USS Comstock, a California-based Amphibious Warfare Platform. The Marine Corps' one-of-a-kind Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team (FAST) from Norfolk, Va., was an integral part of assisting with the harbor defense team.