UAF sponsoring Alaska Defense Forum to assist with nation’s security needs

The University of Alaska Fairbanks is a title sponsor this year of the Alaska Defense Forum, underway this week through Wednesday at the Westmark Hotel in Fairbanks. This year’s theme is “Operation Innovation: Collaboration for the Future.”

Several UAF representatives, including Vice Chancellor for Research Nettie La Belle-Hamer, are participating in a discussion of military issues affecting Alaska.

“UAF is the nation’s leading Arctic research institution, and as DoD focuses on the Arctic, it is finding UAF to be a critical partner,” La Belle-Hamer said. “We’re proud to cosponsor the Alaska Defense Forum to nurture this relationship.”

Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine and National Guard commanders and personnel are participating.

La Belle-Hamer will sit on a panel titled “Alaska is an Aerospace State,” joined by Director Cathy Cahill of the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration and Director Wade Albright of the Alaska Satellite Facility. Both units are a part of the UAF Geophysical Institute.

La Belle-Hamer will also moderate a panel about the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency’s novel approach regarding geospatial intelligence. 

Other UAF leaders presenting at the event:

• Tom Hough, UAF executive director for university advancement. Hough also leads UAF’s Center for Arctic Security and Resilience.

• Helena Buurman, UAF research development officer. 

• Research professor Peter Webley, interim director of the UAF Center for Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship. Webley is also affiliated with the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration.

• Alisa Alexander, director of the Center for One Health Research

• Jeremy Kasper, director of the UAF Alaska Center for Energy and Power.

Several conference participants toured some of UAF’s research facilities on Monday, the forum’s first day. Tour sites covered the areas of energy, engineering, geophysics and remote sensing and included a visit to aerospace infrastructure on the East Ramp of Fairbanks International Airport.

The Alaska Defense Forum brings together representatives of Alaska military units, community and business leaders to address key challenges facing military installations, military families and the Alaska communities they call home. It is modeled after the Association of Defense Communities’ National Summit and Installation Innovation Forum, with an Alaska focus.

The Association of Defense Communities is a nonprofit organization that works to build strong communities in support of America’s military in every defense community/state in the nation. It is the connection point for leaders from communities, states, the military and industry on community-military issues by enhancing knowledge, information sharing, and best practices.

In 2023, the Association of Defense Communities recognized the Fairbanks North Star Borough community as a Great American Defense Community. UAF and its research were featured prominently in that recognition. 

UAF has a lengthy history of working with the Department of Defense. That relationship is more important than ever today with the Arctic now an area of increasing geopolitical and military interest.

Among other projects, the UAF Geophysical Institute helps the Navy decide on the best location to establish and operate its ICEX camp on thick, secure Arctic ice.

The institute's Alaska Satellite Facility, through a contract with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, provides the military with more-accurate elevation information.

The Geophysical Detection of Nuclear Proliferation University Affiliated Research Center is the Geophysical Institute’s most recent entity involved with national defense. Established in 2018, the GDNP UARC assists in the oversight and guidance of the Defense Department’s research, development, testing, evaluation and use of scientific and technological capabilities to better sense, locate, characterize and assess the threat potential of nuclear activities globally.

More information on UAF’s support of the Department of Defense can be found here.