3,000 Miles, No Stops: How the 11th Airborne is Testing the Army’s New Pacific War Doctrine

US Army 11th Airborne Division paratroopers test Pacific war doctrine with a 3,000-mile nonstop jump from Alaska to Hawaii during JPMRC 27-01 JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Paratroopers from the 11th Airborne Division executed a joint forcible entry operation into Hawaii, marking their division’s participation in the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC) Rotation 27-01. Known as "Arctic Aloha," the operation saw Alaska-based paratroopers depart Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER), Alaska, execute an in-flight rig, and deploy directly into a joint forcible entry operation in the United States Pacific Command area of responsibility while in continuous flight. Displaying joint, long-distance synchronization, the JBER-based main body conducted an in-flight link-up with one of its infantry companies flying from Japan, after concluding their participation in Operation Keen Sword, to jump as a unified battalion task force into Hawaii.

For the "Arctic Angels," the exercise serves as a critical validation of their unique role as the Army’s only Arctic and Pacific airborne division. In-flight rigging is the complex process of paratroopers putting on, adjusting, and safety-inspecting their parachutes and combat equipment while inside the aircraft during flight, rather than on the ground before takeoff. For a flight of this distance, rigging in the air is a critical capability. It allows paratroopers to fly without the crushing weight of their parachutes and combat gear for