Military construction marches forward in Alaska: down $11 million from 2014.

AuthorSwann, Kirsten
PositionSPECIAL SECTION: Building Alaska

With several active US Department of Defense (DOD) installations and a clear view of the Arctic and the North Pacific, Alaska has been an important military outpost for more than 150 years.

The US Army first raised an American flag on Alaska soil in 1867. The state saw a buildup of forces during the Gold Rush and World War II, and it's been a key strategic location ever since. Between Fort Wainwright and Fort Greely and Eielson Air Force Base in the Interior and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska's DOD facilities support tens of thousands of people and billions of dollars in equipment. Building the structures and infrastructure to support it all is big business.

While military construction spending in Alaska has trended downward in recent years, installations around the state are still busy with new and ongoing projects. In fiscal year 2015, DOD military construction projects in Alaska--including maintenance and operations, planning, and design--totaled nearly $399 million, according to data from the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). In 2014 it was $410 million, and in fiscal year 2013 military construction totaled $408 million.

As "the primary design and construction agent" for the Army and Air Force presence in Alaska, USACE builds facilities to improve military quality of life and further mission readiness. It supports the Stryker Brigade and Aviation Task Force at Fort Wainwright and the F-22 fighter jets and various other brigades at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

Over the past construction season, USACE projects ranged from relatively minor renovations to major, multi-year replacements: hangers, battalion headquarters, operations facilities, and mechanical buildings. The companies performing the work are just as diverse, from major national names to local Alaska construction businesses.

Alaska Native corporations are a consistent force when it comes to military construction. Approximately half of the DOD-funded construction work in Alaska over the past year has been completed by subsidiaries of the state's profitable Alaska Native corporations--companies like Alutiiq, ASRC Builders, and Tunista Construction. Between fiscal years 2011 and 2014, USACE awarded nearly $450 million in contracts to Alaska Native corporations.

Fort Wainwright

Many of the projects underway in 2015 have been in the works for years. Chris Morgan, chief of military programs for the USACE's Alaska District, says project timelines vary. Some of the work taking place this past season was funded in fiscal year 2010; some of it is much more recent. It all depends on the scope of the construction at hand.

Fort Wainwright saw the most building this past season, with five multimillion-dollar projects that run the gamut in size and purpose.

At $25.5 million, the most expensive project is a new...

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