The ability to fight and win on any battlefield anywhere in the world for the foreseeable future is essential to the mission of the U.S. Army of the 21st Century. In 1981, when Fort Irwin was designated the National Training Center, U.S. Army tactics were structured around equipment that could effectively engage an enemy at ranges of 1 to 12 miles. Today's Army equipment effectively engages an enemy at ranges up to 60 miles away. Also, the pace of tactical operations has increased from 10 miles per hour to more than 25 miles per hour. Our experience in the Desert Storm operation, has also confirmed the need to train heavy mechanized units in larger, brigade-sized assemblages.
Modern tactics involve a more diffuse, faster moving array.
The result is a greater number of soldiers and equipment spread over larger land areas. Therefore, the current lands at the NTC are not adequate to realistically support the changes in distance and pace of equipment, along with the training needs of today's brigade-sized units. The value inherent in such flexibility cannot be overstated. Realistic training is at the very heart of the NTC mission. The options represented by additional areas of operation can be used to test planning and execution of tactics without the drawbacks associated with being to familiar with the terrain.