11th Airborne Division (Arctic Angels):History,Mission,Vision and Leadership

The 11th Airborne Division was first activated on 25 FEB 1943 during World War II,where it was held in reserve until June 1944,when it was transferred to the Pacific Theatre and saw combat in the Philippines.One parachute infantry regiment was detached for service in the Korean War,but on 30 JUN 1958,the Division was deactivated.The Division's most famous veteran was Rod Serling,creator of The Twilight Zone TV series.*In summer 2022,the U.S. Army Alaska Headquarters at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson was redesignated as the 11th Airborne Division.The two Brigade Combat Teams were redesignated as the 1st and 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Teams.The Division's personnel were apportioned to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and Fort Wainwright,Alaska.The Stryker Armoured Infantry Carrier Vehicle (ICV) is to be replaced by a U.S. Army Cold Weather All-Terrain Vehicle (CWATV),an un-armoured tracked vehicle capable of Arctic Region operations.BAE Systems has offered its Beowulf vehicle as a candidate for the programme.*Mission:The 11th Airborne Division (Arctic Angels) executes expeditonary operations worldwide;conducts Multi-Domain Operations in the Indo-Pacific Theatre and the Arctic;and on order decisively defeats any adversary in extreme cold weather;mountainous and high-latitude environments through large-scale combat operations.*Vision:Levraging the strength of our people,America's Arctic Angels are ready to deploy,fight and win decisively against any adversary,anytime and anywhere in a joint,multi-domain environment across the spectrum of conflict and operations.Our units are lead by agile and adaptive leaders who master the fundamentals;seek continuous growth;and execute the commander's intent through disciplined initiative as part of a cohesive team of committed professionals.*Commander:MG Joseph "Joe" Hilbert assumed command of the 11th Airborne Division on 27 JUN 2024.Commissioned into the Field Artillery in 1993,MG Hilbert has served in a wide variety of positions throughout the United States and Europe.His staff experience includes Chief of Current Operations at XVIII Airborne Corps;Deputy Chief of Staff for the 7th Infantry Division;Chief of Operational Forces at the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC);Operations Officer for the 18th Field Artillery Brigade (Airborne) and 3rd Battalion Field Artillary Regiment (HiMARS);and Aide de Camp for the Commanding General,U.S. Army Security Assistance Command (USASAC).*MG Hilbert's operational deployments include Operation Uphold Democracy,a military intervention designed to remove the military regime installed by the 1991 Haitian coups de'tat that overthrew elected president Jean Bertrand Aristide.The operation by the U.S.-led Coaltion was a success.Other deployments include Operation Joint Guardian and the Kosovo Force (KFOR);and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghan War).*MG Hilbert holds a Master's in Security Studies from the Army War College and is an Olmstead Scholar having received a Master's in European Studies (Magister Artium Europastudiem) from the Universitat Leipzig in Germany.He speaks fluent German.A man with a ready smile,he holds a Bachelor's degree in International Ministries from the Moody Bible Institute.*MG Hilbert's Awards and Decorations include the Master Parachutist Badge;the Army Distinguised Service Medal;the Legion of Merit;and the Bronze Star Medal.*There are 10,000-25,000 troops in a U.S. Army Division.*Information provided by the U.S. Army and edited by Andrew Taylor*BAE Systems PLC (LSE:BA) (OTC:BAESY)

Exercise Arctic Shock:US,Norwegian Armies Put to the Test

From 18-22 March 2024,U.S. Army and Royal Norwegian Army Soldiers took part in bilateral Exercise Arctic Shock,a short notice planning (SNAP) exercise,according to a press release by U.S. Army Europe and Africa.Involved was a flight over the North Pole from Alaska to Bardufoss,Northern Norway for a parachute drop by 150 US paratroopers of the 11th Airborne Division (Arctic Angels),a unit of U.S. Army Pacific,and 100 paratroopers of the Royal Norwegian Army's 2nd Battalion.The scenario was the rapid reinforcement of the Norwegian Armed Forces by Arctic paratroopers from the U.S. Army Pacific.Said MG Brian Effler,11th Arctic Airborne Division's commanding general:This type of exercise shows,once again,Alaska's strategic location in the world and the 11th Arctic Airborne's strategic value to the Army and the nation.We value the chance to work with our Allies in the Norwegian Armed Forces and to learn advanced cold-weather techniques from their vast experience while demonstrating our own growing Arctic professionalism.The Arctic is a critical region for power projection and homeland defence.MG [Lars] Lervik,[chief of the Norwegian Army],and the Norwegian Army are great Allies,and exercises like this are effective in expanding our Arctic cooperation;practising interoperability;and continuing to build our strategic relationships.SNAPs help ensure participants are ready to respond to real-world contingencies with little or no advance notice.*Exercise Arctic Shock is a sub-exercise of Nordic Response,which is part of NATO Exercise Steadfast Defender 2024,the largest NATO drills since the Cold War,featuring approximately 90,000 troops,demonstrating NATO's ability to rapidly deploy forces from North America and other parts of the Alliance to reinforce the defence of Europe.

US Army. Soldiers of the 11th Airborne Division during winter combat exercises in Alaska - YouTube

The 11th Airborne Division (Arctic Angels) is a United States Army fornation based in Alaska.They parachute into theatre out of Boeing C-17 Globemaster III jets amd transported by Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters.The drills help Soldiers and their leaders develop and refine Tactics,Techniques and Procedures(TTPs) needed to operate in remote and extreme Arctic winter conditions.They are capable of warfighting and,if necessary,prevailing over any adversary in the challenging wintry conditions of the High North.*Boeing (BA)

US Army, Arctic Angels. 11th Airborne Division during Combat Exercises in Alaska

This unit protects critical national defence infrastructure;conducts multi-domain operations in the Arctic;and,when ordered,is capable of decisively defeating any enemy in extreme cold weather,in the high latitudes,in the mountains through large-scale combat operations.

US Army. Soldiers of the 11th Airborne Division during combat training in Alaska

The missions of the 11th Airborne Division (Arctic Angels) include airborne operations,protecting national defense infrastructure,mountain warfare,and,if ordered,decisively defeating an enemy in the high latitudes through large-scale combat operations.