laska has long played a critical role in the defense and national security of the United States. During World War II and throughout the Cold War, our state served as America’s strategic gateway to the Arctic and the Indo-Pacific. But after the Cold War, Washington’s focus shifted. The Pentagon closed bases, proposed force reductions, and even planned to shrink the Coast Guard’s presence in Alaska.

That was a mistake—not only for America’s security but also for Alaska’s economy.

Since being elected to the Senate, I have made it a priority—through my seat on the Senate Armed Services Committee and as chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee overseeing the Coast Guard—to restore Alaska’s central role in America’s Arctic and Indo-Pacific strategy. Because of these efforts, which we undertook working hand in glove with our patriotic communities throughout the state, I’m glad to say that Alaska is experiencing one of the biggest military buildups in our history. This buildup is not only strengthening our national defense but also delivering billions of dollars in investment, thousands of good-paying jobs, and new opportunities for Alaska businesses, contractors, and workers.

The latest example is the recapitalization of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER). At $7 billion, the Fighter Town Recapitalization Project at JBER is likely the largest military construction project in Alaska’s history. Over the next decade, the project will build 26 state-of-the-art facilities to support multiple generations of fighter aircraft while creating approximately 4,000 private-sector jobs. These projects are in addition to the roughly $400 million we secured in recent years for a new runway at JBER, as well as $300 million for the Air Force’s new Joint Integrated Test and Training Center (JITTC). Alaska construction companies, engineers, suppliers, and skilled tradesmen will help build this next generation of military infrastructure, injecting billions of dollars into our state’s economy. All of this will make JBER the most strategic Air Force base in the world.

This recapitalization builds on years of work my team and I have done to reverse the Pentagon’s neglect of Alaska. In 2022, the redesignation of Alaska’s 1st and 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Teams as the historic 11th Airborne Division reaffirmed Alaska’s importance to America’s military. Since then, Eielson Air Force Base has welcomed two squadrons of F-35s, joining the F-22s stationed at JBER to create the world’s largest concentration of fifth-generation fighter aircraft. We’re going to be receiving billions of dollars in missile defense investments as part of the new “Golden Dome” initiative, expanding Alaska’s military footprint while supporting jobs and economic activity across the Interior.

We are also driving historic investments in the US Coast Guard. While Russia operates more than fifty icebreakers and China continues expanding its Arctic ambitions, the United States for many years relied on just two aging heavy icebreakers based in Seattle—and one of those is broken. We are finally reversing that trend.

Earlier this year, the Secretary of Homeland Security announced that three additional Coast Guard icebreakers will be homeported in Alaska, joining the Coast Guard Cutter Storis in Juneau. Homeporting these assets in Alaska means more than strengthening America’s Arctic presence. It means long-term economic growth for Alaska communities through new housing, infrastructure, maintenance facilities, logistics support, and hundreds of Coast Guard personnel and their families living and working in our state.

Since 2015, Alaska has received more than $1.4 billion for Coast Guard infrastructure projects across Alaska, supporting new cutters, shore facilities, housing, childcare, and other improvements. These investments include six Fast Response Cutters, two Offshore Patrol Cutters, a Waterways Commerce Cutter, and additional patrol boats stationed throughout Alaska.

These investments and vessels are fueling some of the most exciting economic activity our state has seen in years. Alaska shipyards, marine repair facilities, construction companies, and small businesses are benefiting from increased demand for vessel maintenance, infrastructure improvements, and support services. Communities from Ketchikan and Seward to Kodiak, Juneau, Sitka, Petersburg, and Valdez are seeing the benefits of these investments firsthand. Hundreds of new jobs have been created in these critical areas.

As the chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee in charge of the Coast Guard, I led the effort to secure the largest investment in Coast Guard history—$25 billion—in last year’s Working Families Tax Cuts Act. This funding will modernize the service’s fleet and infrastructure, including sixteen new icebreakers, twenty-two new cutters, more than forty helicopters, six C-130J aircraft, and billions of dollars for shore-side infrastructure. Alaska is well positioned to benefit from these investments for decades to come.

Taken together, these substantial military and Coast Guard investments represent one of the largest federal economic development opportunities in Alaska’s history. They are creating thousands of high-paying jobs, supporting Alaska contractors and suppliers, strengthening our maritime industry, and generating long-term economic growth in communities across our state. And they are making America safer.

The federal government is finally recognizing what Alaskans have always known: Alaska is our country’s first line of defense. By restoring our state’s importance to our national defense, we are creating new opportunities for Alaska workers, businesses, and families while ensuring our nation is prepared to meet the challenges of an increasingly contested Arctic and North Pacific.

That is a win for Alaska’s economy, a win for Alaska workers, and a win for America’s security.