By Mark Osborne
April 18, 2026
Two soldiers training at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage were injured Friday when a brown bear attacked them during a land navigation exercise, military officials said. The 11th Airborne Division said both service members sustained injuries and are receiving medical care; names and detailed condition reports were withheld pending notification of next of kin.
Officials said each soldier carried and deployed bear spray during the encounter. Investigators from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) believe the incident was likely a defensive attack by a bear that had recently emerged from its den after winter hibernation. Search teams scoured the remote area afterward but were unable to locate the animal.
“We hope both individuals have a full and quick recovery, and our thoughts are with them during this time,” Regional Supervisor Cyndi Wardlow said. She added that ADF&G will continue investigating to determine what happened and to improve public safety around wildlife in Alaska, and noted that having bear spray in the field may have saved the soldiers’ lives.
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson is home to more than 40,000 people, including over half who are active-duty service members. The base hosts the 11th Airborne Division, the 673d Air Base Wing and U.S. Army Alaska.
Bear encounters are common in Alaska, which the Department of Fish and Game estimates supports roughly 100,000 black bears and 30,000 brown bears. A study from Alaska’s Section of Epidemiology found 68 people were hospitalized after bear attacks in the state from 2000 to 2017, and about 96% of those hospitalizations were tied to brown bear encounters. That study reported 10 fatalities from eight separate attacks during the period.
In a related incident in May 2022, the base reported that Staff Sgt. Seth Michael Plant, 30, was killed in a bear attack west of the Anchorage Regional Landfill.