The U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Hopper (DDG 70) arrived in Homer, Alaska, April 29 for a scheduled port visit prior to their participation in Exercise Northern Edge 2017.
Northern Edge is a biennial training exercise conducted in the Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex, which includes the area within the Gulf of Alaska, as well as land and airspace within the state.
Northern Edge includes participation from several commands, including Alaskan Command, U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. 3rd Fleet, Marine Corps Forces Pacific, U.S. Army Pacific, and others.
The exercise is planned to involve approximately 200 aircraft at Joint Base Elmendorf- Richardson and Eielson Air Force Base, along with Hopper, USS O’Kane (DDG 77), and USNS Guadalupe (T-AO 200).
USS Decatur (DDG 73) was the last ship to visit Homer in June 2011, while O’Kane visited in June 2006 and USS Lake Champlain (CG 57) in July 2004.
Alaskans have objected to this exercise because of the impact the drills could have on the ecosystems. Alaskans fear that sonars used by the Navy during exercises might endanger the region’s commercially viable species of fish.
The U.S. Navy did not comment on the ecological impact of the exercise but mentioned that during the 2015 edition of the drill, approximately $13 million was brought into the state of Alaska due to the additional military personnel, support contracts, and port visits.
Hopper is a multi-mission surface combatant, capable of anti-air, anti-submarine, and anti-surface warfare missions. It can operate independently or in support of carrier and expeditionary strike groups. Hopper is homeported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.