As stated in the end credits, the series is inspired by The Anchorage Daily News and Pro Publica Series "Lawless Sexual Violence in Alaska" by Kyle Hopkins. Hopkins is also a producer for the show.
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Woman is a major and on-going issue in the Native American and Indigenous Canadian Communities.
In regard to the lack of Alaskan native actors, technically it is correct but not the whole story. Long before European settlement, the Dene people (also known as Northern Athabaskan speakers) are an indigenous group of First Nations which occupied a great swath of land spanning from Alaska to the southern border of British Columbia, Canada. The only reason why the statement is true is due to the imposition of political boundaries by the American and Canadian government without regard to cultural affiliation. Vancouver's local talent may not be "native" to Alaska, but it does not mean the indigenous actors do not have a tribal or kinship connection to their Alaskan counterparts.
Irene Bedard was the voice of the eponymous Pocahontas (1995) film, and a supporting actress in the series was born in Anchorage, Alaska. She traces her heritage to the Native Village of Koyuk, a federally recognized Alaska Native tribe whose people speak a dialect of Iñupiaq Eskimo. Most of the principle photography on the show done in Vancouver, with occasional B-roll shot in Anchorage.
The Secretary of Defense is a civilian position, military personnel being considered must be retired for 7 years. The series depicts the Secretary as a 4 star general.