U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan’s efforts to strengthen Alaska’s military system and reopen the naval base on a remote Aleutian Island are gaining traction at the federal level.
Sullivan joined President Donald Trump in the White House on May 20 when the administration announced its Golden Dome missile defense system, which is aimed at protecting Americans from intensifying Chinese and Russian threats and growing arsenals.
Trump said during the meeting that the “state-of-the art system will deploy next generation technologies across the land, sea and space, including space-based sensors and interceptors.”
During the announcement, Sullivan told the president that he is working on a Golden Dome Act with other senators to help “cement” the federal government’s efforts. He said Alaska’s strategic location is a cornerstone of the nation’s missile security network and will play a critical role in the defense system, including the President’s January Executive Order on missile defense.
Sullivan told KUCB in early May that Alaska needs more military presence.
“Particularly out in the very strategically located Aleutian Island Chain,” he said.
Part of his plans include reopening a naval base on Adak Island, which is home to the westernmost city in the nation.
Sullivan said he’s been discussing the possibility of reopening the base nearly every day, and various U.S. military officials have endorsed the idea. In February, Officials with the U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) announced that they would be interested in expanding military access on the Island.
He said he’s pushing to reopen the base because of Russian and Chinese incursions in Alaska’s airspace.
The Department of Defense has said that China and Russia are collaborating closely to be recognized as an Arctic power and climate change is intensifying competition in the region.
In recent years, the U.S. military has intercepted several joint forces between the two foreign powers in the region. In 2023, the U.S. Navy dispatched warships to the Aleutians after the military encountered a joint patrol of nearly a dozen Russian and Chinese military ships.
Sullivan said the increased presence of U.S. Naval ships, aircrafts and defense mechanisms on Adak could give local fishermen peace of mind, as foreign military activity picks up.
“If you're a Russian or Chinese Navy and you think you're gonna harass Unalaska fishermen, ‘Take a look at this destroyer or aircraft carrier,’” Sullivan said.
He said leadership from the Aleut Corp., the Native corporation that owns a majority of the land on the northern half of the island, has been supporting the idea of reopening the base for years.
The population of Adak is only about 50 people. Still, there is a lot of existing infrastructure from the former base, which closed in the late ‘90s.
“That used to be a critically important naval base,” Sullivan said. “It was an air station. It's a submarine base. It was a surface warfare ship base, and it was also a huge, huge fuel depot for military aircraft and military ships.”
Sullivan said he will be introducing his legislation soon with Sen. Kevin Cramer, a Republican from North Dakota.
