Ward said that this brings opportunities to the community, “When we look at opportunities, when we look at the message for our community, it’s that the military is here, there presence in the Interior and in the state of Alaska is going to be one that is going to continue to grow.” Making sure we have affordable housing for our families, making sure there is daycare for these families, making sure there are educational opportunities for these families.” Sfraga said the forum was designed to, “Bring us all the way from the big geopolitics, all the way down to the local level. “There are certainly economic and social impacts to being a military community so what does that mean for business, what does that mean for economic opportunities and then how do we identify those needs, and how are we able to meet those needs as a community,” Ward said. With China and Russia increasing their arctic activity, Alaska plays a huge role. Sfraga said that the arctic is becoming more and more important in the world and that Alaska provides the United States with an arctic position. The Woodrow Wilson Center is a think tank that was started by congress. Sfraga is from Fairbanks and was a professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks before he moved to Washington D.C. “It’s part of the geopolitical landscape we now live in and Alaska is central to what happens in the north and in fact Alaska is central to what happens outside of the arctic as well.” “The arctic has become a globalized arctic,” said Mike Sfraga, the director of the Polar Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center. The Alaska Defense Forum was hosted at the Westmark Hotel and saw speakers from Alaska communities, think tanks, defense agencies and military installations in Alaska discussing the importance of Alaska on a global stage. FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - Community leaders from around Alaska joined with representatives of defense agencies and legislators to discuss the importance Alaska plays in world politics and how communities can help in that role.
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