“Harpoon 1-2, this is Midnight Sun 1, radio check, over.” A brief pause stretches across the 545 miles of Arctic terrain, mountains and tundra between Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and Nome. “Midnight Sun 1, this is Harpoon 1-2. I read you loud and clear. How me?” The response cuts clean through the static.
In Alaska, that simple exchange is more than a radio check, it’s reassurance that when distance, weather or infrastructure fail, communication does not. Exercise Arctic Connect was designed to test exactly that. The exercise brought together more than 30 radio operators positioned at 28 locations across Alaska, linking a network of federal, state and volunteer organizations.
Participants represented elements of the Alaska Organized Militia, including the Alaska Army and Air National Guard and the Alaska State Defense Force, alongside members of the Civil Air Patrol, the State of Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and representatives from the National Guard Bureau. Together, they worked to validate high-frequency radio pathways and strengthen Alaska’s statewide communications plan.
In a state where communities are separated by vast terrain, and severe weather can isolate regions without warning, resilient communications are not optional, they are essential.
“High-frequency communications are inherently influenced by environmental conditions,” said Lt. Col. Herbert Gladwill, Alaska National Guard joint staff director of communications and cyber. “Weather, space weather and propagation variability all play a role, especially in Alaska. Arctic Connect allowed us to identify those challenges, communicate through them and strengthen the network before we need it in a real-world event.”
Some stations established strong connections immediately. Others required adjustment.
