Attributable to Pentagon Spokesman Eric Pahon:
Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Kathleen Hicks departs on domestic travel to Alaska on Sunday, May 21, to visit Eielson Air Force Base, Fort Wainwright, and Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER).
At each installation, the Deputy Secretary will hold round tables and lunches with servicemembers to discuss quality of life issues, access to mental health care, and suicide prevention efforts. She will also meet with senior leaders and tour housing, barracks, childcare, commissaries, health care, and recreation to see firsthand how the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force are working to improve quality of life for servicemembers serving in the Arctic.
These engagements are part of an ongoing effort to ensure Department policy is effectively addressing the challenges that servicemembers face as they serve our Nation.
The Deputy Secretary will also visit the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory and Permafrost Tunnel Research Facility in Fairbanks and the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies in Anchorage, to learn more about the effects of climate change on military readiness, and research programs focused on improving resilience in the Arctic.