FOR RELEASE: Friday, Feb. 22, 2022
CONTACT: Colorado National Guard Public Affairs, (720) 250-1053, ng.co.coarng.list.militarysupport@army.mil
Centennial, Colo. – Approximately 40 members of the Colorado National Guard will participate in exercise Arctic Eagle-Patriot 2022, hosted by the Alaska National Guard, Feb. 22 to March 10, 2022, in Anchorage, Alaska.
This year’s event will focus on domestic operations where more than 900 Air and Army National Guard personnel from 15 states and more than 200 Active Duty U.S. Air Force, Army, and Marine Corps counterparts will join together with interagency partners in response to a simulated large scale natural disaster in the arctic environment.
“For our people to continue to succeed in evolving security environments, we must leverage technology and adapt our equipment, infrastructure, processes and organization,” Director of the Joint Staff U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Scott Sherman said. “This exercise builds situational understanding while enhancing emergency response operations.”
Just two weeks after returning from Arctic Eagle 2020, Gov. Jared Polis activated the CONG Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and high-yield explosive Enhanced Response Force Package March 12, 2020, to support the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment to test Coloradans for COVID-19 and stop the spread of the deadly virus.
Participating in Arctic Eagle allowed the CERFP team to test capabilities in an austere environment.
Former CERFP Commander U.S. Army Maj. Perry Read said the training in Alaska immediately rolled into a mission in Telluride, Colorado, where exposure and experience with cold weather operations helped prevent cold weather injuries among the CERFP Soldiers.
The Arctic Eagle-Patriot Exercise series began in 2012 to increase the National Guard’s awareness and capacity to operate in Arctic environments. Since 2017, the exercise has been a venue for innovative training in cold-weather technology, public/private partnerships and multi-agency integration.
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