(JUNEAU) - The Joint Armed Services Committee will convene Tuesday, February 15th, 2005 at 9:00am in the Senate Finance Committee room of the Capitol.

Legislators will be briefed by Lieutenant General Carrol H. "Howie" Chandler, Commander of Alaskan Command, Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command Region, 11th Air Force and Joint Task Force headquartered at Elmendorf Air Force Base, and Brigadier General Craig Christensen, Assistant Adjutant General, Alaska Army National Guard and the Deputy Adjutant General, Alaska National Guard.

Topics to be covered by Gen. Chandler:

• Initiatives
• Missile Defense
• Future of NORTHERN EDGE
• Airspace Training and Ranges
• Base Realignment and Closure [BRAC]
• Deployment statistics

Topics to be covered by Gen. Christensen:

• Dual missions
• Army and Air Deployments
• Army Transformation
• Air Transformation
• Northern Edge/Alaska Shield 2005

The public and members of the press are invited to attend.

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