How Many Military Personnel Guard America’s Last Frontier?

Russian military planes and vessels have been increasingly coming closer to U.S. territory, concerning the U.S. government about the rising threat of an attack or some sort of conflict. None of the planes or vessels actually entered U.S. space. The Pentagon has also shared that this is not something to be worried about. At the same time, and in an effort to assuage tension before it begins, the U.S. military has prepared to handle the potential Russian threat by situating 130 soldiers on an Aleutian island. The island is located about 1,200 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska. Should the situation warrant in, those soldiers are ready to step in to protect our country. (Where in the world is the U.S. military beefing up its presence?)

Alaska has long stood as a hub for U.S. military presence and power, with an especially large footprint for the Army and Air Force. Established in 1775, more than a year before the Declaration of Independence was signed, the Army is the oldest branch of the American military. With over 412,300 active-duty troops, it is also the largest. The U.S. Air Force, meanwhile, traces its roots back to 1907, when it was established as the U.S. Army Signal Corps. The Air Force spun off from the Army in 1947 under the National Security Act, becoming an independent branch. Today, there are over 265,600 active-duty men and women serving in the Air Force. Alaska’s status as a hub for these forces is due in large part to the presence of several major installations, including Fort Jonathan Wainwright in Fairbanks, Eielson Air Force Base outside of Fairbanks, and Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson in Anchorage. Here, 24/7 Wall St. explored how high the presence is for each military branch’s personnel in Alaska. To do so, we used data from the DOD’s 2022 Demographics Profile. We listed these in no specific order.

Why It Matters

Currently, over 1.1 million active-duty troops and 743,000 reservists and Guardsmen serve in the U.S. military. These men and women are stationed at bases across the country, with the goal of remaining prepared for a host of rising internal and global threats. While the U.S. military has a footprint in every state in the country, the Army and Air Force have an especially strong presence in Alaska.

Check out the number of active-duty and reserve troops from each U.S. military branch that are stationed in Alaska: 

U.S. Army

• Active duty-troop count: 9,777 — 13th most of 50 states (2.4% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 133.3 per 10,000 people — the highest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: 327 — 5th fewest of 50 states (0.2% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 4.5 per 10,000 people — 21st lowest of 50 states

U.S. Navy

• Active duty-troop count: 45 — 12th fewest of 50 states (>0.1% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 0.6 per 10,000 people — 23rd highest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: 86 — 6th fewest of 50 states (0.2% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 1.2 per 10,000 people — 22nd highest of 50 states

U.S. Marine Corps

• Active duty-troop count: 20 — 6th fewest of 50 states (>0.1% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 0.3 per 10,000 people — 20th lowest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: 20 — 5th fewest of 50 states (0.1% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 0.3 per 10,000 people — 7th lowest of 50 states

U.S. Air Force

Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor (PDM 1.0) by aeroman3

• Active duty-troop count: 8,643 — 11th most of 50 states (3.3% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 117.8 per 10,000 people — the highest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: 360 — 20th fewest of 50 states (0.5% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 4.9 per 10,000 people — 5th highest of 50 states

U.S. Space Force

• Active duty-troop count: 15 — 17th most of 50 states (0.2% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 0.2 per 10,000 people — 9th highest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: N/A
• Concentration of reserve troops: N/A

Army National Guard

Alaska National Guard (CC BY 2.0) by The National Guard

• Active duty-troop count: N/A
• Concentration of active-duty troops: N/A
• Reserve troop count: 1,588 — 3rd fewest of 50 states (0.5% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 21.6 per 10,000 people — 8th highest of 50 states

Air National Guard

Alaska National Guard (CC BY 2.0) by The National Guard

• Active duty-troop count: N/A
• Concentration of active-duty troops: N/A
• Reserve troop count: 2,184 — 18th most of 50 states (2.1% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 29.8 per 10,000 people — the highest of 50 states

U.S. Coast Guard

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy in the Beaufort Sea (BY 2.0) by NASA Goddard Photo and Video

• Total Guardsman count: 42 — 23rd fewest of 50 states (0.7% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve and active-duty Guardsman: 0.6 per 10,000 people — 2nd highest of 50 states

U.S. Department of Defense Total

• Active duty-troop count: 18,500 — 16th most of 50 states (1.6% of all active-duty troops in service branch)
• Concentration of active-duty troops: 252.2 per 10,000 people — 2nd highest of 50 states
• Reserve troop count: 4,607 — 9th fewest of 50 states (0.6% of all reserve troops in service branch)
• Concentration of reserve troops: 62.8 per 10,000 people — 2nd highest of 50 states