FORT GREELY, Alaska – In the heart of interior Alaska, where the wind howls across the tundra and winter locks the land in 40-below darkness, Soldiers of the Alaska Army National Guard’s 49th Missile Defense Battalion carry out one of the nation’s most vital missions in defending the United States from intercontinental ballistic missile attack.
Command Sgt. Maj. Benjamin Guritz and First Sgt. Larry Martin are the battalion’s senior enlisted leaders. They hail from the Tennessee Army Guard’s 269th Military Police Company and came to Fort Greely together in 2005 as military police Soldiers. After their careers took them to different places across the globe, they’re back at Fort Greely as Alaska Army National Guard leaders, responsible for the welfare of the battalion’s enlisted ranks.
Since the inception of the missile defense mission, the Alaska National Guard has recruited Soldiers from across the nation to fill permanent active Guard roles and bring units through on a rotational basis. The 855th Military Police Company from the Arizona Army National Guard is now on a one-year rotation, augmenting the battalion’s military police force.
“Working at Greely is a great opportunity to find stability in life and stable employment, and checks a lot of boxes for people,” Guritz said. “It’s a family-oriented, quiet community in one of the most beautiful places in the U.S.”
The 49th Missile Defense Battalion conducts intercontinental ballistic missile defense of the homeland, specifically intercontinental missiles. That mission also includes a security forces element. Military police Soldiers secure the site through patrols, guard shifts and training programs that build an expert security force.
Inside Fort Greely’s Fire Direction Center, five-person crews train daily on systems designed to detect, track and intercept ballistic missiles launched from adversaries. Their jobs require constant mental focus and the ability to act without hesitation.
“The crew has five operators, each with a specific role, from managing radars to monitoring interceptors,” said Capt. Justus Neumann, a senior tactical director who works at the Fire Direction Center. “We’re responsible for making constant decisions. We train almost exclusively in off-nominal situations, because nothing is expected to ever go perfectly.”
For these operators, the challenge of hitting a missile in space with an Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle the size of a refrigerator is daunting.
“It’s like a bullet hitting a bullet,” Neumann said. “But this isn’t guesswork, and our technology is proven in preparing us to succeed. Every Soldier knows the stakes are high. With a limited inventory of interceptors, there is no room for error.”
Fort Greely’s location makes it indispensable to homeland defense. Any intercontinental ballistic missile launched from Asia or the Pacific would arc over the Arctic, placing Alaska in the perfect position to intercept. Most of the nation’s operational ground-based interceptors are located here, making the Soldiers at Fort Greely America’s front line of defense.
Beyond the missile defense operators, the battalion’s military police secure the Missile Defense Complex itself. Their responsibilities range from guarding entry points and escorting contractors to patrolling the perimeter in harsh weather conditions.
“Most of our mission is site security,” said Sgt. Caleb Lawhorne, a Delta Junction native and team leader in the military police company. “When you come on shift, you gear up, take post, patrol or monitor the command center. Every Soldier here understands the responsibility that comes with it.”
The mission never pauses for weekends or holidays and is one of the U.S. Army’s only missions that runs every single day, all year round.
“It’s 24/7, 365,” Lawhorne said. “Even on Christmas, the mission continues. But our leadership always comes out to support us, and that makes a huge impact on morale.”
Harsh Alaskan winters make the job even harder. At temperatures of minus 40, vehicles can stall, and patrols become dangerous. Leaders and Soldiers perform preventive maintenance and conduct regular welfare checks to mitigate these risks in this harsh environment. Delta Junction has a reputation as a wind tunnel because of its geography, which funnels wind through the valley where it is situated. The local area’s newspaper aptly is called “The Delta Wind”.
“Some winter days, the wind tunnels across this base make it nearly impossible to operate,” Martin said. “But the community here takes care of itself. We prepare, we adapt and we push through.”
Despite the challenges, many Guardsmen and their families choose to stay long-term. The Active Guard Reserve program provides stability and draws Soldiers from across the nation. They plant roots in Delta Junction, coaching youth sports, volunteering and raising families.
“It’s a tight-knit place to raise a family,” Martin said. “I’ve raised four kids here. We see Soldiers at work, then see them volunteering in the community. It’s not an easy life, but it’s rewarding.”
Guritz noted that the battalion has become a feeder for the broader Alaska National Guard and Active Guard Reserve force across all 54 states and territories.
“A lot of Soldiers start here and then go on to strengthen the Guard across the state and the nation,” he said. “We have an exceptional program here that creates leaders at all levels.”
From fortified gates to underground control rooms, Guard members at Alaska’s Fort Greely monitor the skies around the clock, ready to launch interceptors that can collide with incoming enemy warheads. It’s a mission unique to Alaska, and one that demands both precision and perseverance.
For Lawhorne, that weight of mission success comes with pride.
“I love the mission,” he said. “It’s tough at times, but we know what’s at stake. What we do here matters, not just for Alaska, but for the entire nation.”