Federal bomb squad conducts training exercise in Anchorage

ANCHORAGE — FBI officials said a Washington, D.C.-based bomb squad defused a simulated nuclear device at the Port of Anchorage during a training exercise this week.

The FBI’s Anchorage office said in a statement that Alaska was chosen as a training location for the Counter-Improvised Explosive Devices Section for its cold, snowy weather conditions. The primary disposal team had been “wanting to practice their response in a winter environment.”

Anchorage-based bureau spokeswoman Staci Feger-Pellessier said that the two-day logistics training began with a “deployment of forces” Monday. The simulated bomb response began Tuesday morning and continued through the evening, reported The Alaska Dispatch News.

The exercise involved members of the federal departments of Defense and Energy as well as Anchorage police officers.

Deirdre Fike, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Anchorage office, said in the statement that the port was the “perfect location” for the training exercise.

“From the very beginning, officials from the Port of Anchorage were incredibly accommodating in helping us with this training.” Fike said.

Federal law states that the FBI is the primary agency for responding to nuclear devices or weapons of mass destruction on American grounds. Among the initial responders include locally based FBI technicians, which are supported by other agencies.

“An incident involving a weapon of mass destruction would require an immediate combined response with our federal, state and local partners,” Fike said. “Training, like the exercise earlier this week, allows us to build upon our already strong partnerships.”

The device used in the exercise was transported from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and placed in a standard shipping container.

Feger-Pellessier declined to provide details of the exercise, citing security reasons. She did say the bureau’s bomb-disposal procedures typically include locating a device, clearing and securing the area, assessing the threat and then rendering it safe.

“Our priority and mission is to keep America and its citizens safe from any form of attack,” Feger-Pellessier said.

___

Information from: Alaska Dispatch News, http://www.adn.com

More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast through the week of Feb. 1

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

Blank posts are seen where the two totem poles once stood at the Fred Meyer main entrance on Feb. 7, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Fred Meyer totem poles get a second chance at life

Tlingit master carver says they will be refurbished with tribal youth and repurposed.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Friday, Feb. 7, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

Construction progress on a new Kaladi Brothers warehouse in Midtown Anchorage is seen on April 22, 2024. Of all major Alaska economic sectors, construction had the highest percentage increase in nonresident hire in 2023, state economists report. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Nonresident hiring in Alaska hits new record, state analysis shows

The number of nonresidents working in Alaska hit a new record in… Continue reading

President Donald Trump speaks to a capacity crowd at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage on July 9, 2022. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Here’s what Trump, after 20 days of his second term, has done so far specifically affecting Alaska

Nixing rules that limit oil drilling, renaming Mt. McKinley, shaking up U.S. Coast Guard among actions.

President Donald Trump walks away from the podium after speaking about a plane crash at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport during a news conference at the White House in Washington, on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. President Trumpճ remarks, suggesting that diversity in hiring and other Biden administration policies somehow caused the disaster, reflected his instinct to immediately frame major events through his political or ideological lens. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
All of the Trump administration’s major moves in the first 20 days

The New York Times is tracking the actions of President Donald Trump… Continue reading

Most Read