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Urban site adds to training dimension

Army News Service

By Christopher Selmek

FORT RILEY, Kan. (Army News Service June 25, 2004) --Construction on what some have called the most advanced training facility ever available to Fort Riley is under way. Post officials expect the project, which costs $26 million to take three years to complete.

The Combined Arms Collective Training Facility will offer a state-of-the-art method of learning how to conduct Military Operations in Urban Terrain. The facility was planned for training mechanized units, but any unit can use it.

"Light forces can use it, although it's really designed for tanks to pull up alongside here and mechanized units to conduct the training," said Lee Breidenstein, range officer.

The facility will not be segregated from the rest of the training areas. This will allow any unit conducting training at Fort Riley to use it if the leaders see fit.

"Commo units can practice running lines through it. Logistics guys can move through it. Command units can set up a command post in it. It's really multi-task," Breidenstein said.

Planners picked the south end of the training areas for the MOUT site so it would be available for training year round, Breidenstein said.

Additionally, the location also allows for flexibility as to where it could fit into a training program.

"There's a great deal of flexibility with what a unit can decide to do with this area," Breidenstein said. "If it fits in with the training, they can even bring in role-players, though they aren't a part of the range or operation."

The site is not designed for ball ammunition. Instead, Soldiers will fire blue-tip ammo that leaves a blue mark where it hits but causes no injuries.

The structures being built will probably not be visible until later this fall, Breidenstein said.

When phase one of the project is completed, 21 of the site's 26 structures will be available to units wanting to practice securing and clearing an urban area. It should be completed by fall 2006.

"The equipment we're expecting includes cameras in every building and speakers and microphones that all feed back to the control center," Breidenstein said.

The second phase still needs Congressional approval. Breidenstein will review structural plans and schematics with political representatives during the 95-percent design review June 29 through July 1.

Phase two will build the five remaining structures needed for the MOUT site and seven other facilities for training leading up to exercises in the site.

Additional facilities coordinated to add to the overall training are individual trainers, squad/platoon trainers, a breach facility, an underground trainer, a shoot house and grenadier gunnery.

"When this is done, it's going to look like a real small town," Breidenstein said. "It'll have realistic houses, all different colors, a church with an occupy able steeple, school, farmhouse and a simulated gas station.

According to Breidenstein, in addition to the regular town there will be a "shanty" town made up of a walled area and low structures.

Breidenstein said he thinks the most impressive element is the Range Operation Center, which will include a 100-person theater for audiovisual after-action reviews and remote controls for the entire site. The AARs will be able to track the time of day, what was said and what happened during a training situation.

"Right now we don't have anything nearly this good," he said. "We're finally getting something that can be used by anyone and is specifically designed for MOUT."