On September 12, 2024, elements of the U.S. Army’s 11th Airborne Division, along with the 1st and 3rd Multi-Domain Task Forces, conducted a strategic force projection operation, deploying soldiers and equipment to Shemya Island, Alaska.
The operation, executed in collaboration with the U.S. Air Force, is a clear demonstration of the military’s capability to project power in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.
“As the number of adversarial exercises increases around Alaska and throughout the region, including June’s joint Russian-Chinese bomber patrol, the operation to Shemya Island demonstrates the division’s ability to respond to events in the Indo-Pacific or across the globe, with a ready, lethal force within hours,” said Maj. Gen. Joseph Hilbert, commanding general of the 11th Airborne Division.
Shemya Island, a remote outpost in the North Pacific Ocean, is of growing strategic importance. The deployment underscores the U.S. military’s ability to rapidly position forces in critical locations, reinforcing its commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific. The 11th Airborne Division, based in Alaska at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and Fort Wainwright, plays a key role in both the defense of U.S. territories and the Arctic region, which is becoming increasingly contested as climate change accelerates access to the area.
As part of the U.S. INDOPACOM (Indo-Pacific Command), the 11th Airborne Division is focused on ensuring stability in the region, which encompasses more than 50 percent of the world’s population. The deployment to Shemya Island comes amid rising tensions in the Arctic and North Pacific, with growing military activity from both China and Russia. In June, a joint Russian-Chinese bomber patrol near Alaskan airspace further heightened concerns, prompting the U.S. to strengthen its defensive postures in the region.
“Testing ourselves with this operation and others like it is critical to our nation’s defense and the preservation of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Hilbert emphasized. “Our ability to deploy combat-credible forces quickly and effectively to any location, no matter how remote, is critical to supporting the nation and our strong relationships with allies and partner nations.”
Shemya Island, located at the far western end of Alaska’s Aleutian chain, offers a forward base of operations that is essential for maintaining a military presence in the increasingly competitive Arctic region. The deployment reflects the U.S. military’s evolving strategy to confront emerging threats in the Arctic and across the broader Indo-Pacific, while ensuring that American forces remain prepared to project power in contested environments.
As climate change reshapes the geopolitical landscape of the Arctic, the 11th Airborne Division is set to play an even more critical role in securing U.S. interests, both in the far north and in the strategically vital Indo-Pacific theater.