The U.S. Coast Guard today announced its participation with Alaskan Command in a major, 4-day Arctic rescue operation exercise designed to focus on multinational search and rescue readiness to respond to an incident near and in the region.

The operation, which includes the Coast Guard, Alaska National Guard, Alaska state agencies, Alaska Native organizations, and the Canadian military, features a simulated catastrophic incident involving an adventure-class ship (Coast Guard cutter) traveling through the Bering Strait with ~250 passengers and crew.  It includes rescue helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, six hoisting operations, simulated injured victims, and treatment of passengers in support communities.