DVIDS – Video – Arctic Aviation Command Activation Ceremony

In the 1960s, the division was known as the 11th Air Assault Division and was responsible for developing, innovating and inventing what we now know as air assault operations: the use of aviation resources to move soldiers farther and faster, making formations more lethal.
Today, that history met our present as we welcomed the Wings of the Arctic during an opening ceremony for the new Arctic Aviation Command at Fort Wainwright.
After the red and blue command standard was unfurled, Maj. Gen. Joseph Hilbert, commanding general of the 11th Airborne Division, addressed the assembled crowd, discussing the challenges of the ever-changing Arctic and what it takes to fight and win here.
“Success here in the Arctic depends on knowledge that can only be acquired by living and working here,” he said. “The activation of Arctic Aviation Command means we now have direct command and control over the people, platforms and leaders that operate here and will make these difficult decisions at the speed that the Arctic demands.”
AAC Commander Col. Russell Vanderlugt thanked those in attendance and the Soldiers in formation as he outlined the mission to some of the Army’s finest pilots, maintenance technicians, fuelers, mechanics and aircrew.
“Our activation will provide the 11th Airborne Division with dedicated air assets that will enhance operations not only in Alaska and the Arctic, but wherever the #ArcticAngels are scheduled to operate.”
Over the past two years, we have added more Soldiers and equipment, and now the Arctic Aviation Command. We are grateful for the strength of our local communities and the support of local and national leaders as we continue to build the readiness that is the foundation of the Department of Defense’s Arctic strategy.
Welcome to the Arctic Aviation Command Division!