MISSION INTELLIGENCE

Arctic Thunder Open House (ATOH) is a biennial event hosted at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) that stands as the largest two-day public event in Alaska. Historically, the air show has drawn massive crowds before its digital presence was fully centrallized. For example, in 2012, the event saw an estimated attendance of 250,000 visiors, a significant figure given the local population size. The 2014 even continued this trend with approximately 200,000 visitors gathering to watch aerial demonstrations and other military assets, cementing the event's status as a critical community touchpoint between JBER and the Alaska community.

2016 marked a pivotal shift in the open house logistical organization with the launch of arcticthunderopenhouse.com as its official dedicated website. Prior to this, information was often dispersed through general base public affairs channels or local media. The establishment of the official domain stremlined the dissemination of critical "know before you go" information -- such as security restrictions, parking maps, and performer schedules -- which became increasingly necessary as attendance numbers stabilized in the hundreds of thousands. This digital modernizaation managed the complex logistics of hosting a quarter-million visitors on an active military installation in Anchorage, Alaska.

Since its launch, arcitcthunderopenhouse.com was owned and maintained by one organization, donating the domain, design, and hosting resources to JBER and the Arctic Thunder Open House organization. 2026, marks the first time the domain name is available for acquisition for a new owner to support the Arctic Thunder Open House event or any other purpose.