Navy Training

The Alaska Training Areas (ATA) (Figure 1) are used by the U.S. Navy to conduct military activities across the training spectrum, from individual and unit-level training to larger joint (multi-Service) training events. The air and sea training activities originate from Navy ships that operate within a Temporary Maritime Activities Area (TMAA) located in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). The Navy also conducts air activities in established U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army inland training areas. The air, land, and sea components in and around the GOA provide the space and resources needed to realistically train Sailors to achieve and maintain Fleet readiness.

Realistic Training

Realistic training ensures U.S. Navy personnel maintain the highest level of readiness and capability. Diverse training opportunities ensure Navy personnel are able to react swiftly and decisively in a wide range of potential situations, from combat to civilian evacuations and disaster relief.

The Navy trains in the GOA to prepare Navy personnel and other military forces for global conflicts and homeland defense/homeland security activities. The Navy can best accomplish this by conducting these activities in a realistic, live-training environment. Ensuring that military personnel are prepared to go into harm’s way requires rigorous, real-life training in the air and at sea.

The TMAA is strategically important to the Navy for completing this mission. It has a unique combination of attributes that make it an ideal training venue for the Navy. These attributes include:

Location. The TMAA provides a maritime training area located within flight range of several Air Force and Army bases and their associated air and land training ranges. The proximity of personnel, resources, and equipment within a few hundred miles of the GOA allows for rare joint training opportunities for Navy forces.

Area of training space. The vast area of the TMAA and the inland training areas provide ample space to support necessary forces and allow for the conduct of the full range of training activities.

Oceanographic conditions. The GOA’s complex oceanographic conditions create a challenging environment for training in the search and detection of submarines in anti-submarine warfare. In the summer, the GOA provides a cold-water training environment.

Training activities within the GOA provide Navy personnel with the opportunity to learn and practice skills they need to operate machinery or weapon systems. These activities provide realistic experience and include:

  • Operating aircraft, ships, and submarines;
  • Conducting training against moving ships and aircraft;
  • Practicing aerial surveillance; and
  • Detecting, locating, and countering submarines.

Joint and multinational exercises are large training activities that bring together troops from different branches of the U.S. military, U.S. nonmilitary organizations, and military forces from allied nations to plan and conduct military activities at sea, in the air, and on land. These exercises provide opportunities for Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Army, Coast Guard and National Guard personnel to train with other allied nation forces and nonmilitary organizations to practice tactics, techniques, and procedures which promote interoperability and regional stability.

The location, size, and unique environment of the ATA provide the Navy with a wide range of training opportunities involving varying degrees of complexity and diversity, all of which enhance the quality of military training.