DOD's RRPI 2004 Military Readiness Fact Sheet

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

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Military Readiness:  The Training and Testing Connection
Source: Department of Defense

"From an operational perspective, my team's ability to train for this
war was far from ideal.  Range encroachment issues affected nearly every
aspect of this mission's profile."  - Captain Jason Amerine (Special
Forces team that supported Hamed Karzai in Afghanistan)


Readiness Requires Preparation

The U. S. Armed Services fight as they train.  Analysis of WWI and WWII
combat data reveal that the probability of battlefield survival
increases almost exponentially if one survived the first five
engagements where shots were fired.  The purpose of training is to
replicate those first five engagements in safe training areas, not in
combat.

The United States Armed Forces train to conduct military operations in
all terrain and weather conditions to defend our interests.  They are
the best at what they do.  They are the best because they "train as they
will fight" and their equipment is rigorously tested under realistic
conditions.  High quality training and testing requires access to
appropriate land, air and water ranges.

For many years the Department of Defense (DoD) enjoyed ample access to
ranges; however, as our nation has grown, so has urban development
around our ranges.  External factors stemming from urban development can
prohibit, limit, or constrain testing and training activities on
military installations and ranges.

DoD seeks to maintain readiness while remaining environmentally
responsible.  But the defense of our nation is an imperative; other
national goals cannot be achieved without it.  This brief overview
discusses the training and testing side of the balance between readiness
and stewardship.

Training

Modern warfare requires specialized ranges where military personnel can
learn, through practical hands-on experience, the skills necessary to
assure victory and to survive in combat.  The use of live ammunition and
the ability to train in complex and realistic scenarios are fundamental
requirements.  DoD ranges support such training, from basic warfare
skills to highly advanced integrated operational maneuver training.

The Army's National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California is a 1,000
square mile range in the Mojave Desert.  The success of the Army in
Desert Storm has been attributed to the specialized prior training
armored, mechanized and air units received at Fort Irwin.

Navy battle groups, with their onboard Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU),
use water ranges and operating areas to sharpen offensive and defensive
skills, including anti-submarine and carrier air operations.  The
Marines' projection of power from the sea to take control of airstrips
in the vicinity of Kandahar during the war in Afghanistan exemplifies
the results of such training.

All services conduct military aviation training requiring large areas of
airspace to prepare fighter, bomber and transport aircrews for combat.
Airspace is also required over artillery ranges.

Testing

The testing of military weapons and equipment requires similar ranges.
In order to ensure that our forces are armed with weapons systems that
operate under all conditions on the battlefield, they must be rigorously
tested.  Some testing is done in laboratories, while some require
ranges.  Several of these ranges are very large, such as the 1,700
square mile Naval Air Warfare Center in China Lake, California, which is
used to test aircraft, guided missiles and precision guided munitions
(PGMs).

The readiness of our Armed Forces depends on the continued availability
of realistic testing and training. We owe our men and women in uniform
nothing less.

Commonly Asked Questions:

Can simulators provide the same experience as realistic training and testing?

DoD is the world's leader in using simulations and simulators for
training its people. However, the best simulators, now and in the
foreseeable future, can only replicate parts of the real combat
environment. Whenever possible, training has been and will continue to
be shifted into an electronic environment. However, much of military
training will need to continue to be conducted in a live environment
using DoD's excellent ranges.

What are the issues most affecting the military's training and testing facilities?

Eight major areas of encroachment that most affect our training and
testing activities today are:

* Endangered species and critical habitat issues that limit access to
training lands
* Management of unexploded ordnance and ordnance constituents on
operational ranges
* Radio frequency spectrum encroachment
* Maritime issues such as use of sonar and protection of marine mammals
* National airspace redesign considerations
* Air quality issues within areas where new units are relocated
* Airborne noise that creates issue with neighboring communities
* Urban growth and incompatible development near our ranges

The effect on ranges varies from location to location and service to
service. Urban growth and development around ranges is a root cause in
many instances, which in turn, exacerbates environmental restrictions,
noise concerns, over flight issues, frequency interference and other
regulatory issues and community concerns.

Each range is unique; its geography and environment are unique as are
its mission and encroachment concerns. If the military services cannot
meet their training and testing requirements, they must relocate
facilities or send trainees to other locations increasing expense and
travel time. A particularly adverse impact is the increase in time away
from their families, which adversely impacts retention.

--


Lenny Siegel
Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
c/o PSC, 278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

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