Korea Training Center
The Korea Training Center a rural area about 20 miles northeast of Camp Casey in the northern part of South Korea. Armored units use the range to meet yearly, live gunnery training requirements. The center is manned throughout the year and various armored units rotate through training scenarios to meet yearly live gunnery training requirements. An important part of readiness is live fire training. Eighth Army has an agreement with the ROK Army for recurring use of ROK training areas, and 2ID pays costs of OPFOR, observer/controllers, and rotational unit costs from command funds. Field barbecues are normally held at the Eight United States Army (EUSA) Korea Training Center (KTC). This type is the most popular because the command sets the date and time usually near the end of the training event. This increases the morale of the soldiers on site.
The effects of democratization and urbanization in Korea on Eighth Army training are producing many of the same challenges now faced in Europe. The training area problem is a function of training areas being widely dispersed, often temporarily unavailable, and too small to support modern weapon systems. Current training areas also suffer from sustained encroachment by nearby civilian urbanization, and safety concerns for these civilians have reduced the size and time available for required training.
The Korea Training Center's current capabilities match those that existed at our National Training Center two decades ago. The Korea Training Center remains very manpower intensive due to the lack of instrumented technologies. The goal is to fully instrument the facility with the Homestation Instrumentation System by fiscal year 2008. The Korea Training Center requires an average of $4.5 million per year through fiscal year 2007.
The Collective Training Facility to be built at the Korea Training Center will allow Second Infantry Division soldiers to train in an urban environment resembling a Korean town and a high rise apartment building. Military Operations in Urban Terrain is a training imperative for all ground forces in Korea. Urbanization now dominates the landscape in South Korea. As a result, ground forces will have to fight in this challenging urban environment. The $12.4 million for military construction of the Urban Terrain Center Training Facility replicates the extreme challenge of fighting in cities that forces will face in Korea.
One of the projects in support of readiness is the upgrade of the multipurpose range complex (MPRC) at the US Army Korea Training Center. Units of the 2nd Infantry Division use the MPRC for helicopter, Bradley Fighting Vehicle, M-1 Abrams tank, artillery, mortor, and close air support training. The MPRC project is the result of damage suffered during the flooding of 1998. The flooding damaged three target movers extensively; the underground wiring system became inoperable with wiring exposed and torn and transformers were submerged. MPRC course roads were washed out and a contaminants "collection pond" filled with debris. The damage degraded operations for 30 days.
The Army is upgrading the facilities and has just completed the first phase of the project. Phase I included construction of eight firing positions, two kilometers of road and five reinforced concrete box culverts for flood control. To minimize the impact on training capability at the range, the $3.7 million dollar phase I work had to be done on a very tight schedule. And, on January 12, 2000, the live fire range was ready for two companies of the 9th Infantry Bradley Fighting Vehicle training at the range using the Phase I upgrades.
Phase II, also $3 million, is scheduled for completion in June and will include 15 battle positions and 1/2 kilometer of road. Both Phase I and Phase II work will improve the durability of the firing positions. Also under construction, and scheduled for completion by October 2000, are four open bay barracks, a maintenance facility, dining facility, and an after action review facility. Each of the open bay barracks will house two companies. These facilities will greatly improve the quality of life for the soldiers who train at the MPRC.
