Fort Irwin National Training Center Fort Irwin & the National Training Center ( NTC ) is a major training area for the United States Military and is a census - designated place located in the Mojave Desert in northern San Bernardino County , California . Fort Irwin sits at an elevation of . The 2010 United States census reported Fort Irwin ' s population was 8 , 845 . The base is part of the Installation Management Command ( IMCOM ) . The opposing force at the NTC is the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment , the Blackhorse Cavalry , who are stationed at the base to provide an enemy force to units on a training rotation at Fort Irwin . Fort Irwin works within the R - 2508 Special Use Airspace Complex . History . The Fort Irwin area has a history dating back almost 15 , 000 years , when Native Americans of the Lake Mojave Period were believed to live in the area . Native American settlements and pioneer explorations in the area were first recorded when Father Francisco Garces , a Spaniard , traveled the Mojave Indian Trail in 1796 . During his travels , he noted several small bands of Indians and is believed to have been the first European to make contact with the Native Americans of this area . Jedediah Smith is thought to have been the first American to explore the area in 1826 . A fur trapper , Smith was soon followed by other pioneers traveling the Old Spanish Trail between Santa Fe and Los Angeles . Bitter Springs , on the eastern edge of Fort Irwin , was a favorite stop over site . In 1844 , Captain John C . Fremont , accompanied by Kit Carson , was the first member of the US Army to visit the Fort Irwin area . Captain Fremont established a camp near Bitter Springs that served travelers on the Old Spanish Trail , and later the Mormon Trail , linking Salt Lake City to California . This camp was later to become an important supply center for pioneers during California ' s settlement and gold rush . The California Gold Rush brought prosperous trade and unexpected trouble to the area . As California grew , and more travelers used the trails to enter the territory , raids and horse stealing became a problem . In 1846 , the Army ' s Mormon Battalion patrolled the Fort Irwin area to control the raiding and horse stealing . During the Indian Wars the Army constructed a small stone fort overlooking Bitter Springs and patrolled the Fort Irwin area . In the 1880s the area experienced an economic boom with the discovery of borax at Death Valley . From the late 19th century to the early 20th century , the area began to grow tremendously as mining operations of all types flourished . Soon railroads , workers , and businesses led to the establishment of the nearby town of Barstow . The years following the Indian Wars were quiet militarily . In 1940 , President Franklin D . Roosevelt established the Mojave Anti - Aircraft Range , a military reservation of approximately in the area of the present Fort Irwin . In 1942 , the Mojave Anti - Aircraft Range was renamed Camp Irwin , in honor of Major General George LeRoy Irwin , commander of the 57th Field Artillery Brigade during World War I , and it was subsumed into the Desert Training Center as one of its cantonment areas and some of its ranges . Two years later , Camp Irwin was deactivated and placed on surplus status . Camp Irwin reopened its gates in 1951 as the Armored Combat Training Area and served as a training center for combat units during the Korean War . Regimental tank companies of the U . S . 43d Infantry Division from Camp Pickett , Virginia were the first to train at the new facility . The post was designated a permanent installation on 1 August 1961 and renamed Fort Irwin . During the Vietnam buildup , many units , primarily artillery and engineer , trained and deployed from Fort Irwin . In January 1971 , the post was deactivated again and placed in maintenance status under the control of Fort MacArthur ( Los Angeles ) , California . The California National Guard assumed full responsibility for the post in 1972 . From 1972 to late 1980 , Fort Irwin was used primarily as a training area by the National Guard and reserve components . National Training Center . On 9 August 1979 , the Department of the Army announced that Fort Irwin had been selected as the site for the National Training Center . With over for maneuver and ranges , an uncluttered electromagnetic spectrum , airspace restricted to military use , and its isolation from densely populated areas , Fort Irwin was an ideal site for this facility . The National Training Center was officially activated 16 October 1980 , and Fort Irwin returned to active status on 1 July 1981 . Since its activation , the National Training Center has witnessed many firsts . The first unit to train against the Opposing Force at the NTC were from 3rd Brigade , U . S . 1st Cavalry Division from Fort Hood Texas . in spring 1981 . Also Ft Irwin and the 1st CAV tested and implemented the M . I . L . E . S . , Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System . Infantry and armor units first augmented the Opposing Force in 1984 as a detachment of the 7th infantry Division , Fort Ord CA . June 1985 saw the first use of M1 Abrams tanks and later in the fall of 1985 saw the M2 Bradley fighting vehicles on the National Training Center battlefield . The first armored cavalry squadron rotation occurred in November 1984 . Units from the 101st Airborne Division participated in the first light force rotation in March 1985 . The 197th Infantry Brigade participated in the first extended rotation with brigade operations in June 1985 . The first combined Light / Mechanized Infantry rotation took place in February 1990 ; the 7th Infantry Division ( Light ) from Fort Ord and the 24th Infantry Division ( Mechanized ) from Fort Stewart , Georgia participated . The first MOUT ( Military Operations in Urban Terrain ) mission was conducted at the National Training Center Pioneer Training Facility in December 1993 . OPFOR . During the re - opening of the National Training Center in 1980 , the OPFOR or opposing force consisted of a detachment of infantry from the 7th Infantry Division US Army based in Fort Ord , California , and a detachment of the 72nd Armor . Once the US Army turned to regimental units in 1985 , the OPFOR was designated the 177th Armored Brigade ( SEP ) . The OPFOR soldiers wore Soviet - style armor uniforms including black berets and Soviet - style insignias , and used modified M551 Sheridan armored reconnaissance as BMP - 1 vehicles and T - 72 tanks . Units from the USMC and US Army Reserve and National Guard would support infantry roles for the OPFOR . Air support and air combat tactics came from fighter units from the Nellis AFB , Mirimar USMC airbase . The National Training center at that period also showcased US Army large - scale tactics to foreign military leaders from all over the world . The OPFOR ran 15 training rotations a year against armored brigades from all over the USA . The command centers of the large - scale battles were computerized in a central command post , where each battle was recorded and analyzed . The National Training Center and Fort Irwin continue to serve as the Army ' s premier training center . Since the September 11 , 2001 attacks , the National Training Center has transformed to focus on continuous counterinsurgency operations that reflect the ongoing and rapidly changing battlefield . Also , the Canadian Forces use the training facilities in order to prepare for its role in Afghanistan , as part of their pre - deployment training It is a common tradition for any military unit visiting the installation to paint a design on one of the large rock formations near the main gate . ( See image above ) Units of all types and locations are represented . One of the unique aspects of the base is the presence of several mock " villages " which are used to train troops in urban warfare prior to their deployment . The villages are supposed to mimic real villages from Iraq and Afghanistan and have variety of buildings like mosques , hotels , traffic circles , etc . filled with Arabic - speaking actors playing villagers , street vendors , and insurgents . The biggest two are known as Medina Wasl and Medina Jabal , and are located several miles from Fort Irwin . Most of the buildings are created using intermodal containers like lego , but some can be much more elaborate and are actually built using Iraqi building standards . Fort Irwin Solar Project . Fort Irwin Solar Project will be the largest renewable energy project in the Department of Defense ' s history . The initial development plan is expected to result in more than 500 MW of renewable energy with one billion kilowatt - hours ( kWh ) of solar power generated per year by 2022 . The $ 2 - billion Fort Irwin Solar Project will create jobs both during construction and long - term plant operations , as well as generate additional revenue for local businesses . Geography . Fort Irwin has a total area of 2 , 579 . 77 km² ( 996 . 055 sq mi ) , with only 0 . 3277 km² of this area as water , according to the United States Census Bureau , however the CDP covers an area of 7 . 1 square miles ( 18 . 3 km² ) , all of it land . Within its territory on its western side lies the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex . The ZIP Code is 92310 and the reservation is inside area code 760 . Demographics . The 2010 United States Census reported that Fort Irwin had a population of 8 , 845 . The population density was 1 , 254 . 1 people per square mile ( 484 . 2 / km² ) . The racial makeup of Fort Irwin was 5 , 481 ( 62 . 0 % ) White , 1 , 086 ( 12 . 3 % ) African American , 103 ( 1 . 2 % ) Native American , 402 ( 4 . 5 % ) Asian , 120 ( 1 . 4 % ) Pacific Islander , 916 ( 10 . 4 % ) from other races , and 737 ( 8 . 3 % ) from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2 , 261 persons ( 25 . 6 % ) . The Census reported that 7 , 507 people ( 84 . 9 % of the population ) lived in households , 1 , 338 ( 15 . 1 % ) lived in non - institutionalized group quarters , and 0 ( 0 % ) were institutionalized . There were 2 , 371 households , out of which 1 , 532 ( 64 . 6 % ) had children under the age of 18 living in them , 1 , 903 ( 80 . 3 % ) were opposite - sex married couples living together , 133 ( 5 . 6 % ) had a female householder with no husband present , 54 ( 2 . 3 % ) had a male householder with no wife present . There were 13 ( 0 . 5 % ) unmarried opposite - sex partnerships , and 15 ( 0 . 6 % ) same - sex married couples or partnerships . 244 households ( 10 . 3 % ) were made up of individuals and 3 ( 0 . 1 % ) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older . The average household size was 3 . 17 . There were 2 , 090 families ( 88 . 1 % of all households ) ; the average family size was 3 . 41 . The population was spread out with 2 , 992 people ( 33 . 8 % ) under the age of 18 , 1 , 888 people ( 21 . 3 % ) aged 18 to 24 , 3 , 727 people ( 42 . 1 % ) aged 25 to 44 , 224 people ( 2 . 5 % ) aged 45 to 64 , and 14 people ( 0 . 2 % ) who were 65 years of age or older . The median age was 23 . 9 years . For every 100 females there were 132 . 1 males . For every 100 females age 18 and over , there were 147 . 9 males . There were 2 , 487 housing units at an average density of 352 . 6 per square mile ( 136 . 1 / km² ) , of which 18 ( 0 . 8 % ) were owner - occupied , and 2 , 353 ( 99 . 2 % ) were occupied by renters . The homeowner vacancy rate was 0 % ; the rental vacancy rate was 4 . 3 % . 71 people ( 0 . 8 % of the population ) lived in owner - occupied housing units and 7 , 436 people ( 84 . 1 % ) lived in rental housing units .