House passes Begich bill strengthening national defense and securing Alaska’s strategic role

The training ranges that stretch across Interior Alaska and other key military sites in the Lower 48 will remain in steady use for decades to come under a bill passed Monday by the US House of Representatives. Lawmakers approved HR 5131, the Public Lands Military Readiness Act of 2025, giving the military 25 more years of uninterrupted access to major training and testing grounds.

HR 5131, led by Congressman Nick Begich of Alaska, won broad bipartisan support as lawmakers voted to extend military land withdrawals in Alaska, New Mexico, and California through 2051.

For Begich, it marks his seventh bill advanced through the House this Congress, and one of his most consequential for national defense.

The measure ensures uninterrupted access to some of America’s most strategic testing and training ranges—including the missile-defense hub at Fort Greely, the sprawling maneuver areas at Fort Wainwright, the McGregor Range in New Mexico, and the live-fire grounds at Fort Irwin in California. Together, these lands form the backbone of US readiness for Arctic operations, long-range missile testing, live-fire exercises, and Indo-Pacific force preparation.

Begich said the legislation continues the administration’s emphasis on “peace through strength,” arguing that Alaska’s geography and training environment place it at the center of modern defense strategy. The bill, he noted, gives stability to training missions that cannot tolerate uncertainty or administrative gaps.

House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman, an ally of Begich’s, offered support for the bill’s national-security implications, calling the measure essential for preserving premier training spaces while maintaining responsible federal land management.

The legislation also addresses a quieter but serious administrative problem: outdated or conflicting land descriptions that have accumulated over decades of layered federal actions. By updating and correcting those records, the bill aims to prevent costly legal disputes and streamline coordination between military agencies and federal land managers.

For Alaska, the extension reinforces what defense planners have said for years: Alaska is a central hub for Arctic and Pacific operations, home to unmatched cold-weather training conditions and strategically positioned between major global theaters. The continued availability of Fort Greely and Fort Wainwright’s ranges ensures that missile-defense units, airborne brigades, and joint forces can train in the advanced environments required to meet new and emerging threats.

With House passage secured, HR 5131 now moves to the Senate, where Alaska’s delegation has signaled strong support for long-term certainty for the state’s military infrastructure.