Sponsor
Nicholas J. Begich
Representative · R-AK
The bill shifts 5,624 acres from wildlife refuge protection to Navy control—trading local environmental and safety risks and possible legal conflict for expanded, quicker-to-deploy training capacity that strengthens military readiness.
Military personnel and national defense benefit from a new 5,624‑acre testing and training area on Adak Island that enables realistic explosives, rocketry, gunnery, and electronic‑warfare exercises, improving readiness and preparedness.
Department of the Navy, Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service gain clearer jurisdiction and a faster transfer process—requiring Interior to transfer the parcel as soon as practicable and adjusting refuge boundaries—reducing legal uncertainty and speeding deployment of training capabilities.
Rural and indigenous communities and wildlife lose protection when 5,624 acres are removed from the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, reducing habitat and public access and increasing the risk that military testing and hazardous materials will contaminate local ecosystems and water resources.
Residents and nearby communities face increased noise, safety hazards, and restrictions from high‑hazard explosives, live‑fire training, and hazardous‑materials activities conducted on the island.
Transferring federally protected refuge land to military control may provoke litigation and community opposition, creating legal and administrative costs and potential delays for local governments and project implementation.
Based on analysis of 1 section of legislative text.
Transfers ~5,624 acres on Adak Island from the National Wildlife Refuge System to the Navy for weapons testing and other defense uses, and adjusts refuge boundaries.
Transfers about 5,624 acres of land on Adak Island, Alaska, from the National Wildlife Refuge System to the Department of the Navy and authorizes the Navy to use the land for weapons testing, aerial gunnery, rocketry, electronic warfare, tactical maneuvering, equipment and tactics development, and other defense-related activities. The land will be removed from the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and the refuge boundary will be adjusted on the date the Department of the Interior transfers administrative jurisdiction to the Navy. Other lands in the National Wildlife Refuge System remain under existing law except for the specific removal described. The transfer is to occur as soon as practicable after the law goes into effect and the Navy may apply Department of Defense explosives safety standards and other regulations for high‑hazard explosives testing and related activities on the transferred land.
Representative · R-AK
Official title: To require the Secretary of the Interior to transfer to the Secretary of the Navy administrative jurisdiction of certain land located on Adak Island, Alaska, and for other purposes.
Introduced June 4, 2026 by Nicholas J. Begich · Last progress June 4, 2026