By SUZANNE DOWNING
Aug. 4, 2026 – A powerful US Army rocket artillery system has been deployed to Nome as American and Canadian forces test their ability to move troops and combat equipment rapidly across Alaska and the Arctic.
US Northern Command deployed an M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, better known as HIMARS, to Nome on Friday, as part of Operation TUNDRA MERLIN, an ongoing homeland-defense operation in the Alaskan theater.
The launcher and its support equipment traveled from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, aboard a Royal Canadian Air Force C-17 Globemaster III.
The Canadian transport aircraft stopped at Fort Wainwright near Fairbanks on its way west to pick up soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, part of the 11th Airborne Division’s 1st Mobile Brigade Combat Team.
The deployment placed mobile, long-range precision firepower on Alaska’s western coast and demonstrated how quickly the two nations could move heavy combat equipment and personnel into a remote Arctic location.
“This deployment under Operation TUNDRA MERLIN demonstrates our ability to rapidly deploy forces and seamlessly integrate joint capabilities across the Arctic,” said Maj. Gen. John Cogbill, commander of the 11th Airborne Division.
“By deploying alongside the HIMARS, we are proving our readiness to deter adversaries by demonstrating lethal, long-range precision capabilities that can hold their assets at risk,” Cogbill said.
HIMARS is a truck-mounted rocket and missile launcher designed to move quickly, fire precision munitions and relocate before an adversary can respond. Depending upon the munition carried, the system can engage targets ranging from dozens to hundreds of miles away. The Army describes it as transportable by both C-130 and C-17 aircraft, making it particularly useful for rapid deployments to isolated locations.
The military did not identify what type of ammunition accompanied the launcher in Nome or announce any live-fire exercise.
Nome’s location on the Seward Peninsula gives the deployment added strategic significance. The community sits along Norton Sound near the Bering Sea, placing it on Alaska’s western approach and in a region where American and Russian territory come closest to one another.
Operation TUNDRA MERLIN is described by Alaskan Command as a long-planned, continuing homeland-defense operation conducted with American and Canadian forces. It integrates land, air, maritime and other military capabilities while preparing forces to detect, deter and, if necessary, defeat potential threats approaching North America through the Arctic.
The HIMARS deployment follows a combined maritime patrol conducted under the same operation in July. US Coast Guard cutters and the Royal Canadian Navy completed an approximately 800-mile, five-day patrol through the Bering Sea, further testing the two countries’ ability to operate together in northern waters.
The arrival in Nome was therefore more than the movement of a single weapons system. It was a demonstration that US and Canadian forces can move personnel, aircraft and long-range firepower from bases thousands of miles away to Alaska’s western edge on short notice.
The aircraft and HIMARS pictured at Nome were photographed by US military personnel. The images were released through the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service as public-domain military material.
5 thoughts on “US, Canadian forces deploy rocket system to Nome in Arctic defense operation”
The photos is obviously not in Nome but probably at McCord before departure. Note the distinctive mountain in the background.
Runway’s captured or unusable, winter hits, what’s the plan?
How much of this is paid by US taxpayers? Probably all of it and nothing by Canada.
King Salmon should be looked at for re-activation. Maybe blow the dust off at Attu, just in case.
It’s very disruptive when the military plays war in places like Ketchikan and Nome right in the middle of the busy season when civilians are trying to make their money to survive the winter on. They have their own military airport at Tin City, not far from Nome, they can play at. They probably wanted to order lunch from Airport pizza.