Alaska Guardsmen from the 176th Wing prepare to load

Alaska Guardsmen from the 176th Wing prepare to load personnel and equipment onto a 211th Rescue Squadron HC-130J Combat King II aircraft in Deadhorse, Alaska, March 7, 2018. More than 50 Air and Army National Guardsmen conducted training several hundred miles north of the Alaskan coastline on the frozen Beaufort Sea. This training is linked to the Alaska National Guard’s Arctic Eagle 2018 and U.S. Navy’s Ice Exercise. A number of Department of Defense exercises afford participating forces the opportunity to operate in a joint environment while assessing the ability to conduct sustained operations in arctic conditions including Arctic Eagle 2018, Alaskan Command’s Exercise Arctic Edge, the U.S. Army’s Arctic Pegasus, and the U.S. Navy’s ICEX. ICEX 2018 is a five-week exercise that allows the U.S. Navy to assess its operational readiness in the Arctic, increase experience in the region, advance understanding of the Arctic environment, and continue to develop relationships with other services, allies and partner organizations. The exercises occur in February and March 2018, and dates for each exercise varies. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Balinda O’Neal Dresel)