U.S. Army soldiers injured in bear attack during field training in Alaska
The incident appeared to have been a defensive attack after the bear recently emerged from its den, officials said.
FILE: Massive bear squeezes into California home's crawl space
Ken Johnson found a 500-pound bear living underneath his California house. He believes that the bear has been living beneath his home since June.
During a training exercise in Alaska, two U.S. Army soldiers were attacked by a brown bear, officials said.
The two troops were participating in a "land navigation training event" at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson's Arctic Valley training area in Anchorage, Lt. Col. Jo Nederhoed, a spokesperson for the 11th Airborne Division, told the Anchorage Daily News.
Wildlife officials from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game told the Anchorage Daily News the incident appeared to have been a defensive attack after the bear recently emerged from its den, and both soldiers were carrying bear spray and used it.
A brown bear catches salmon at the top of Brooks Falls at Katmai National Park and Preserve on July 30, 2025 in Alasska. (Hu Xiaolin/VCG via Getty Images)
"We hope both individuals have a full and quick recovery, and our thoughts are with them during this time," Fish and Game Regional Supervisor Cyndi Wardlow told the newspaper.
After the incident, the soldiers were "receiving appropriate medical care" Friday morning.
"The safety and well-being of our personnel is our highest priority," Nederhoed added. "The incident is under investigation, and we are coordinating with local wildlife authorities to ensure the safety of all personnel in the area."
A brown bear snags a sockeye salmon in mid-air on August 11, 2023 at Brooks Falls, Alaska within the Katmai National Park and Preserve.
(Photo by John Moore/Getty Images))
Over 98% of all brown bears in the United States and more than 70% of the entire North American population call Alaska home, according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
Bear attacks are rare compared to the number of human–bear encounters each year, as brown bears do not hunt humans and typically avoid them.