“Embracing opportunities for resilient logistical infrastructure in the Arctic” –The Watch

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This rendering provided by the City of Nome shows how the Port of Nome, Alaska, will appear following an expansion project that will cost more than $600 million. Shipping lanes that were once clogged with ice for much of the year along Alaska’s western and northern coasts have relented thanks to global warming, and the nation’s first deep water Arctic port should be operational in Nome by the end of the decade. (PND Engineers Inc./City of Nome via AP)

Without offering much detail, the NORTHCOM on-line magazine “The Watch” reports the intention to invest in improvements in three Alaska ports, Port of Alaska (Anchorage), Valdez, and Nome.

None of these ports are above the Arctic Circle, but Nome is very close.

Only the development of a deepwater port at Nome appears to be driven by national security considerations, though modernization in Anchorage and Valdez may offer incidental logistical benefits.

We have been talking about a deepwater port in or near Nome since 2018.

I would not be surprised to see Nome as a future Coast Guard buoy tender homeport and seasonal air station.

Nome’s proximity to the Bering Strait and Russia, all within 150 miles, makes it strategically important.

Port of Alaska (Anchorage). Traveler photo submitted by 2013TravelinFool (Jul 2017)

Port of Alaska (Anchorage) is the only designated Strategic Port in Alaska.  It appears the upgrades are replacements for existing facilities including updated technology.

There is a comprehensive, 121-page plan for Valdez on-line here. It includes some upgrades of the container port but envisions minimal Corps of Engineers support and involvement. Most of the work seems to be in support of tourism, fishing, and local marine industry.

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