Today, the Army can engage the enemy at ranges up to 60 miles. The pace of tactical operations also has increased, from 10 miles an hour to more than 25 miles an hour. Brigades and battalions are required to cover more ground than ever before, disperse and operate across wide areas, concentrate forces to conduct decisive combat operations, and then disperse again to fulfill diverse missions. These changes in battlefield tactics require the Army to obtain additional lands for training. The training conducted on these lands will prepare the Army to dominate missions at every point on the spectrum of military operations.
Realistic training reduces the cost in soldiers' lives to fight and win the Nation's wars.
The plan will identify those lands necessary to meet the Army's training needs and will recommend conservation measures intended to promote the survival and recovery of the desert tortoise and other endangered or threatened species and their habitats in the West Mojave Desert. After review by the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service to consider how it might be implemented consistent with the Endangered Species Act, the Secretaries will transmit the plan to the Congress and make it available to the public. Thereafter, the Secretaries will submit additional legislation that would withdraw and reserve the lands identified in the plan. The proposed legislation requires completion of consultation under the Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act within 24 and 30 months, respectively. Use of the land will be contingent on full compliance with the Endangered Species Act.