An Alaskan military base long used to intercept Russian aircraft is now racing to welcome one instead.
President Donald Trump will host Vladimir Putin for an unprecedented summit at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, just north of Anchorage, a White House official confirmed to Defense One. The joint Air Force-Army base, which today supports F-22 Raptors, historically has been used to counter the Soviet Union and launch intercepts of Russian and Chinese aircraft. The installation has hosted numerous presidential visits over the decades, but has never welcomed a U.S. adversary of Putin’s stature on base.
This begs questions about the logistics of securing the site and the optics of the summit. Base officials declined to answer any of them, deferred questions about preparation for the visit to the White House. White House officials declined to provide further information, citing operation security.
While the optics of the situation may be ironic, former Air Force officials said that with appropriate precautions, the base is well-suited to host the event.
Elmendorf-Richardson is a large base and the conversation likely won’t happen near secure areas used for sensitive operations, said David Nahom, who retired last year after serving as the commander of Alaskan NORAD region, Alaskan Command, and 11th Air Force since 2022.
“We always had visitors on base from different countries, and obviously not necessarily a Russian citizen on base, but we’re always very mindful of that. My guess is these conversations are not going to happen in areas that are required for the mission or would have any security concerns,” Nahom said.
The base has had to cordon off sensitive areas many times, and there are plenty of ways to still get the mission done, he said.
While the exact procedures are closely held, military bases follow tight protocols to prevent espionage during visits from heads of state, including protections from cyber breaches and preventing physical access to classified areas.
Questions remain over the exact makeup of Putin’s entourage. The Russian president rarely travels within his own country without being accompanied by fighter jets, and a detailed agreement on what is being brought and where it will be positioned is likely being hammered out at the joint staff level.
“As for the makeup of the Russian aircraft flying in entering U.S. airspace and landing at Elmendorf Field, as this visit is very unprecedented in recent years, really unsure what will be allowed and how this will look,” Nahom said.
Ravi Chaudhary, a former assistant Air Force secretary for installations, echoed confidence that the base will be able to deliver a secure environment, but expressed concern over this administration’s problems with security protocols.
“I know they are rapidly preparing, and they have the capabilities in place to make sure that we pull out all the stops to ensure a successful meeting, which all of us hope for. Yet, when you take into account the administration’s past proclivity on security protocols, and add the strategic importance of JBER, it’s got me wondering if this is such a good idea,” Chaudhary cautioned.
The summit’s agenda is expected to focus on the war in Ukraine, but no one from Ukraine is expected to be invited. Ukrainians and European leaders worry that Russia will win undue concessions. The White House has lately characterized the meeting as a “listening exercise” that could later pave the way for a meeting with Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, lowering expectations from previous statements that a peace deal could be imminent.
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