LANSING, Michigan – Northern Strike 22-2, the country’s largest National Guard Bureau-sponsored military exercise, is scheduled to occur across Northern Michigan’s National All-Domain Warfighting Center (NADWC), including Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, Aug. 6-20.
Approximately 7,400 participants from 19 states and several coalition countries, including Canada, Latvia, and the U.K., will participate in one of Michigan’s largest-ever iterations of Northern Strike, designed to validate the readiness of the joint and reserve force. Of these, approximately 750 will be based at Alpena CRTC.
A new feature of this year’s Northern Strike is integrating the Michigan Air National Guard’s exercise Northern Agility 22-2. Northern Agility 22-2 will feature A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, MC-12 Liberties, W/MC-130 Combat Talon IIs and KC-135 Stratotankers conducting operations from Cherry Capital Airport, Grayling Army Airfield, Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport, Alpena CRTC and Battle Creek Executive Airport on consecutive days, Aug. 8-12. This exercise will demonstrate joint integration into the Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept, which is the ability to generate airpower anytime, anywhere. The A-10s will fly from Alpena on Aug. 11.
“Northern Agility is incorporated seamlessly with Northern Strike to show how ACE can be integrated into the joint fight,” said U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Bryan Teff, commander of the Michigan Air National Guard. “Northern Strike provides the perfect backdrop for Michigan to continue moving key Air Force doctrines forward as a center of excellence for ACE.”
Additional training activities will take place in and around Rogers City and downtown Alpena, including the Carmeuse Calcite Quarry, Hillman Airport, and the Ess Lake vicinity. Some military personnel may be seen in public conducting low-impact tactical training in civilian clothes with equipment such as radios and harnesses.
“We could not deliver this high-quality training event to our joint and international partners without continued support from the citizens of Alpena and other communities in Northern Michigan,” said U.S. Air Force Col. Jim Rossi, Alpena CRTC commander. “Northern Strike is something this region can be truly proud of, showcasing all Michigan has done to support our National Defense Strategy for more than a decade.”