- 2023, Russia and China Sent Large Naval Patrol Near Alaska. Alaska is America’s common border with Russia and the pathway to Asia.
- 1977-1980, I was stationed in Alaska. We reported our status at the highest level of Combat Readiness because the Army asked the wrong questions. We were repeating the mistakes that allowed Alaska to be occupied. After reporting up the chain of command that we were repeating the failures and receiving an “every thing is fine” response, I resigned in protest.
- 1942, Japan invaded and occupied Alaska. The US was unprepared. Liberating Alaska, the Battle of Attu, was second only to Iwo Jima in casualties in the Pacific Theater. Most casualties were caused by command failures.
- 1935, General Billy Mitchell’s testimony to Congress: “I believe that in the future, whoever holds Alaska will hold the world. I think it is the most important strategic place in the world”
Today. There is no Joint Command stationed in Alaska. There is no major naval presence. There are no hardened defenses. There are no robot offensive or defensive capabilities. Generals and Admirals want to live in Colorado and Hawaii, not the harsher conditions of Alaska. So they locate the commands in paradise without regard for the need to live in the environment and understand the subtleties required to defend it. Without deep personal experience, commanders will send troops into harm without understanding the risks. Study the Battle of Attu to glimpse the command failures:
8 years before I was born, the Japanese Imperial Army invaded and occupied part of Alaska. Had they not lost 4 carriers at Midway, it seems likely they would have reinforced their success in Alaska by occupying Kodiak and Anchorage. That would have put them within bombing range of Seattle. Occupying the Great Circle Routes over the Pacific would have blocked the US from resupplying Russia’s war effort against Germany with 8,000 aircraft. It would have preempted the “Europe First” strategy that helped save England from invasion.
US Department of Defense seems unable to read a map. Apparently DOD uses Mercator Projection Maps to view Alaska as far from Russia and station major US military forces in Hawaii.
Using more accurate maps illustrates that the only strategic significance of Hawaii is that Generals and Admirals want to live in that paradise. To be able to live in Hawaii, they station forces in Hawaii to command.
Strategically, those forces should be on America’s common border with Russia. Russia and the US are 2.4 miles at the closest point. Mainland’s are separated by about 53 miles.
Without US military forces stationed in Hawaii, Hawaii is radically less strategically important than Alaska. Hawaii is a long way from everywhere. If you fly from LA to Tokyo or Dallas to Beijing, you fly over Alaska.
In World War II, Japan attacked Hawaii to disable US forces concentrated there. They invaded and occupied Alaska because Alaska is strategically important. US forces in Hawaii should be station in Alaska to control the Great Circle Routes. General Mitchell is correct, “I believe that in the future, whoever holds Alaska will hold the world. I think it is the most important strategic place in the world”
I was stationed in Alaska between 1977 and 1980. One year was spent as an Infantry Battalion S-4 and two years as Commander of B Company, 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry. With the help of Floyd Whitney, as West Point classmate, Swedish and Norwegian winter warfare training documents were translated into English. B Company became the only unit in Alaska to use skis instead of snowshoes. It was 8 times faster than other Infantry Companies. It was the only unit to train in the mountains in winter.
We studied the Japanese invasion and occupation 8 years before I was born. We understood we were making the same mistakes in 1979 that the Army made in allowing Japan to invade Alaska in 1942. With my Battalion Commander. Ltc Herrick, we reported our concerns up the Chain of Command to the Brigade Commander, the Alaska Commanding General, FORCOM, then the Chief of Staff of the Army.
The Chief of Staff’s office responded with a dismissive letter forcing me to choose between duty and career. I resigned in protest to create a record hoping those replacing me would rally to the defense of our common border with Russia. Ltc Herrick told me it did have some effect. The 172 Brigade was replaced by the 6th Infantry Division (light) and now the 11th Airborne Division. These are small steps but do not address the fundamental failures to station joint command and joint forces in Alaska with hardened defenses. We continue to make the same mistakes.
Here is a link to the documents prepared for the Army’s Chief of Staff. Below is my resignation letter.
