The Coast Guard kicked off Arctic Shield 2017 operations throughout Arctic waters this past weekend with the opening of a forward operating location (FOL) in Kotzebue.

As part of operation Arctic Shield 2017, the Coast Guard will deploy cutters, aircraft and personnel to engage in operations encompassing a variety of Coast Guard missions from Dutch Harbor through the Bering Strait and along the North Slope, including the Northern Alaska Outer Continental Shelf.

The FOL in Kotzebue will enhance the Coast Guard’s operability by allowing pre-staged flight crews from Air Station Kodiak to save critical time and resources when responding to missions in the Arctic region.

Arctic Shield 2017 will include Arctic deployments by the crews of Coast Guard cutters, as well as Coast Guard participation in Operation Arctic Guardian, a multiagency pollution response exercise in Utqiaġvik.

Photo Credit: U.S. Coast Guard/Luke Clayton