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NEWS

Clear Space Force Station hosts Interior Alaska Mayors and Tribal Leader

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Julie Avey
  • Clear Space Force Station
CLEAR SPACE FORCE STATION, Alaska --  Clear Space Force Station, Alaska – In an outreach event, leadership from Clear Space Force Station welcomed mayors and tribal representatives from across the Interior, including Anderson, Denali Borough, Nenana, Fairbanks, and North Pole, to bolster relationships and deepen community partnerships.

The event, hosted at Clear SFS, was designed to bring together civilian and military leadership to enhance understanding and collaboration.

The commander of Clear Space Force Station and the 13th Space Warning Squadron, Lt. Col. John Burton, emphasized, “It is incredibly valuable to have all the mayors together in one room. Sharing our mission and fostering partnerships.”

The discussions encompassed topics such as community information sharing, community engagement initiatives, volunteer opportunities, construction updates, infrastructure development, emergency response measures, including fire incidents, as well as housing developments.

“We were able to have an open dialogue about how we can improve our intercommunity communication,” said Burton. “I think it was good to share the mission first and foremost, to foster a good appreciation for what we do. Additionally, we wanted to instill a sense of teamwork, emphasizing that we are here as one team.”

With mutual aid agreements in place for fire and medical emergencies, building strong relationships with local leaders is not only strategic but essential.

“Establishing continuity of communication helps us build or adjust agreements,” Burton explained. “We coordinate with local emergency managers in the Denali Borough, Anderson, and Nenana in the event of wildfires or other types of emergencies that may occur.”

A notable takeaway from the event was the sharing of innovative local practices.

“We found out, for example, that the Nenana Mayor has a compost biomass energy plant, so it was important for us to find out what they do from a power and resource management perspective.”

“This was a good opportunity to share ideas between the Mayors and Clear, including other community initiatives we can work on together at a volunteer level, particularly for some individuals who live on base and may not be aware of what's happening in town,” said Burton. “Many of the people who work here live in these local communities, and it is beneficial to have an interface with their mayors.”

Clear SFS comprises dedicated military personnel, civilians, and contractors, including emergency responders from both the medical and fire departments. Together, they work seamlessly to ensure mission readiness and community safety.

The attendees received a comprehensive overview of the strategic and operational significance of the 24/7 missile warning, missile defense, and space domain awareness mission in support of national defense.

Lt. Marcus Stokes added, “We detect and track objects that could pose threats to the U.S. homeland. Our work is critical, and we rely heavily on support from our local communities, contractors, the Guard, and our international partners, such as the Royal Canadian Air Force who serve here at Clear.

A recurring theme was the deep-rooted connection between Clear and the surrounding communities.

Nenana Mayor Joshua Verhage said, “Clear has reached out and helped to include building a city square, with several people from Clear contributing to the project. Additionally, Clear has assisted at community luncheons. It was a meaningful opportunity to connect with the leadership at Clear Space Force Station and fellow community representatives, and we look forward to continued collaboration in the future.”

“We live and work in your towns,” said Andrew Schlaupitz, Director of Clear SFS Operations. “This meeting is just one part of continuing to build lasting partnerships.”

Jason Hall, Director of Services at Clear, added, “My job is to keep morale high and want to connect more with the communities – whether it’s snowmachining, hunting, dog sledding, bowling, or hosting bingo nights. There’s so much we can do together. For some of these folks, it is their first time getting out of their car and arriving here in Alaska, and we want to work together to make it a great experience.”

The group discussed launching seasonal community events such as the Anderson Strawberry Festival on July 12 with Clear SFS’s participation. Other ideas included youth volunteer initiatives, cultural exchanges, education about the military, and continued Veteran support services, both in the community and at on-base events.

City of Anderson Mayor Katie Griebe emphasized the value of introducing local youth to Clear. She expressed excitement about organizing a winter event for teens and noted that the bowling alley at Clear aligns perfectly with those efforts.

“Bringing our young people to see Clear Space Force Station, to understand space operations, and to interact with military personnel – it opens doors,” said Griebe. “I’m looking forward to organizing something for our teens in the winter. I feel that was answered with the bowling alley here at Clear.”

Chief Donald Charlie, the First Chief of the Nenana Native Association, a Vietnam Veteran, attended and spoke about sharing culture. “We recently displayed a bear spear in the park at Denali. My wife is a great-granddaughter of Chief Thomas of Nenana, and we have a walking stick that was hand-carved out of birch. We were trying to figure out what to do with it, and now it is on display in the Nenana school alongside other items. At least the kids in Nenana will see it and learn something. There are a lot of things that can happen out there, and we can share from both our culture and from the military.”

He could remember coming out to Clear as far back as a kid to watch movies and bowl.

“This event helped increase the connection amongst our community,” said Charlie. “As long as people know what is going on in their community, then there won’t be any questions. The People of Nenana have always looked up to the military with a great deal of respect, especially the native community.”

“This was incredibly helpful for us, especially since we are the closest municipality, proximity-wise of any of the mayors here,” said Griebe. “Our community of Anderson has always been heavily involved with Clear, whether it was the number of people who worked here and lived in Anderson, or the ties through emergency responders, mutual aid agreements, or volunteers. Last year, the non-profit Lions Club hosted an event, and the addition of help with a bouncy house from Clear added a lot of gusto to the event. We have been able to keep ties for community events. Being able to interact with Col. Kim, who will be the next commander, was very helpful.”

North Pole Mayor, Larry Terch, attended and said, “I think it is important to know what happens in and around your community. It is such an honor to come out here and see what is happening with the different missions that occur in our area. If I weren’t in this position, I wouldn’t have been able to experience it without service. It's neat to see what's going on around, whether it's at Eielson, Clear, or Wainwright.”

The event marked a continuing step forward in uniting Clear Space Force Station with the surrounding communities. As Alaska’s strategic importance continues to grow, partnerships like these will play a crucial role in fostering mutual support and shared ideas.

“We don’t come up with the best ideas alone. They come through discussion, trust, and working together,” the commander concluded.

The Mayor of Fairbanks, David Pruhs, said, “Being from Fairbanks, my whole view on this was what can we do for the service folks who live out there. This is a remote location, so anything we can do to help alleviate the tension or provide entertainment. I’ll be in touch, providing them with schedules of the events we have, and making sure they receive a couple of tickets to the Gold Panners baseball games and hockey teams, as well as details about the Golden Days events. That way, the people who serve America’s interest out here can spend a day in Fairbanks and spend a day enjoying the events they can. So that’s what I got out of this more than anything. I would also say what I got out of it was seeing the incredible professionalism of people who serve out here – high caliber of personnel.”

Clear SFS is home to the Space Force’s 13th Space Warning Squadron and the Alaska Air National Guard’s 213th Space Warning Squadron, which operate capabilities crucial to U.S. and Allied force missions. This includes components to a global network of missile warning sensors, which allow the Space Force to provide missile warning indications and tracking data necessary to perform missile defeat functions to safeguard the U.S., Allied, and partner nations.

Clear is also home to the 268th Security Forces Squadron of the Alaska Air National Guard, which provides security for priority assets and base infrastructure.