• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

108th Air Refueling Wing Det. 1 [108th ARW Det. 1]

Detachment 1, 108th Air Refueling Wing, manages the Warren Grove Gunnery Range in Ocean County, New Jersey, thereby helping to maintain the level of operations at the range maintained Warren Grove as the busiest air-to-ground gunnery range in the northeast United States.

The mission of the range is to provide a quality combat training environment for all military air and ground combat forces. Annually, approximately 3000 sorties from fighter and helicopter users throughout the Northeastern United States practice weapons delivery day and night at Warren Grove Range. A minimum of three joint exercises involving air and ground troops occur every year.

Regularly forward air controllers, laser spotting teams, Navy SEALS, Army Special Forces, Navy Weather and Medical teams, as well as Federal Aviation Administration research and development testing, New Jersey Forest Fire Service training, local police defensive driving training and Boy Scouts visits, round out an active training and community service year.

In 1998, Detachment 1, 108th ARW continued its outstanding management of the Warren Grove Gunnery Range in eastern Burlington county. During the year, 2,621 fighters, helicopters and tactical aircraft bombed, strafed, fired rockets, and air dropped training cargo at Warren Grove. This represented the third consecutive year of increased flight activity despite regular user deployments to Southeast Asia and Europe.

Four major exercises employed ground troops operating in conjunction with air operations. Two of these exercises represent the seventh straight year of Joint Operation exercises involving Army and Air National Guard and reserves of all four services at Warren Grove Range. These users executed major portions of their training in each of the Joint Defender exercises at he range.

Operations included Navy SEALS, Army Special Forces, Marine, and Air Force forward air controllers, day and night flights, use of sophisticated night vision devices, lasers, and flares. Warren Grove also hosted the 177th Fighter Wing as it initiated F-16 air-to-ground weapons delivery training. In excess of 18,000 weapons deliveries and troop movements occurred at the Warren Grove Range.

The Range continued its outstanding public relations role for the NJNG and the United States military as more than 2,000 members of the public viewed flight training throughout the year. Included were Boy and Girl Scout groups, Civil Air Patrol, college and high school groups, ROTC, Challenge Youth Program cadets, resident veterans from DMAVA's New Jersey Veterans Homes, campers from the New Jersey Guard Summer Youth Camp, friends, families, and members of the NJNG.

At the end of 1998, the new $1.2 million composite range building neared completion and the range opened its property to the public for an annual eight days of deer hunting.

Located in the heart of the Pinelands, the range continued its environmental care by sponsoring a comprehensive biological survey of range property and original research in Plains Management by prescribed fire application. The range also planted 10,000 Pineland-specific trees.