By Ann Roosevelt
To meet current and future mission requirements at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), N.M., the Army recently released an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) evaluating proposed changes to develop new test and training.
WSMR is an Army managed and supported installation with a tri-service presence.
The Army wants to expand current capabilities for expanded testing and off-road maneuvering, all to support faster fielding of equipment and technology to deployed soldiers.
The Army’s preferred choice would result in adopting a flexible, capabilities-based Land Use and Airspace Strategy Plan to accommodate rapidly evolving needs, support current and future mission activities, and support test and training efforts from individual components up through major joint and multinational programs, the EIS said.
Essentially, the Army assessed direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental and socioeconomic effects of implementing proposed changes.
WSMR is approximately 40 miles wide and 100 miles long, a land area of nearly 2.2 million acres in south central New Mexico. Nearly 3.4 million acres of neighboring land area support DoD test and training missions. Another 3.3 million acres can be called on through agreements with nearby land owners.
Under the Army’s preferred alternative, land use would be changed to allow off-road use for testing by wheeled and tracked vehicles on an additional 1.6 million acres than currently available.
The changes would include expanding current test operations, such as missile firing, directed energy weapons, Brigade Combat Team (BCT) Modernization, and support for next generation programs using the full extent of WSMR land and airspace resources.
As an example, the EIS said BCT Modernization provides a fully integrated combat capability encompassing manned and unmanned ground and air vehicles and munitions that are tied together by a network.
Tests need a variety of terrain and use of terrain features to separate operational locations, which could include off-road operations in mountainous terrain. Changes would include increased test-related ground and airspace missions during the next five years.
New Mission Support Facilities and infrastructure throughout WSMR would be developed.
Additionally, six new Specialized Areas would be created, though the specific locations have not yet been determined, including an Electro-Optical 0.50 Caliber Test Range; a Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor (JLENS) System; an Environmental Laboratory Complex; a Joint Urban RDT&E Environment; an Individual Combat Skills Training Area; and a Local Training Area for military training would be created.
These capabilities range from broad trends and concepts for future testing to specific programs planned for the near term.
For the purpose of analysis and describing future levels of activity, the EIS uses BCT Modernization testing as a model for future Army modernization test requirements.
WSMR proposes to provide additional capability to conduct more off-road vehicle activity, using a variety of wheeled and tracked vehicles and equipment in scripted and unscripted movements.
This capability requires land for soldiers and vehicles to maneuver freely using heavy wheeled and tracked vehicles, both manned and unmanned. Test events would require a range of terrain and geophysical conditions, with operational areas sized for flexibility, some areas at least six miles by six miles, about 25,000 acres.
The Limited User Tests for the initial phase of BCT Modernization testing at WSMR represent typical test events and is used as a basis for the analysis of ground maneuvers in the EIS. These events could vary in frequency and take place on the installation at dispersed locations concurrently. Individual tests could involve bringing in up to 600 persons- -primarily civilian contractors–on a temporary basis for the test.
BCT Modernization and future similar test programs use soldier participants to involve the ultimate user in the system’s development. This role is performed by the Army Evaluation Task Force stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas. During the fielding phase of test programs, the soldier test participant role would evolve into a soldier-student training role as units rotate through to learn how to use the new systems. Their activities would replicate all those undertaken during the test phase as they practice with each component of the system. The combat concepts and activities of the future fighting force are similar to typical Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) functions, with foot soldiers supported by light to heavy equipment.
WSMR expects on-road vehicle use would increase due to increased testing and training. EOD recovery efforts could increase using All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) to access dispersed recovery sites throughout the installation.
The range also would expect an increase in dismounted operations, particularly in the terrain areas in the upper range to support BCT Modernization test events–up to 500 soldiers for one or two weeks using up to 1,000-acre operational nodes. Range management and recovery efforts would also increase by at least 25 percent over current levels.
Additional test missions would increase activities for test set up and tear down, and retrieval of debris, as well as EOD removal operations.
Surface weapons firing is projected to increase by about 25 percent over Fiscal Year 2007 levels for various ongoing and new programs, for example, the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS), Navy missile and extended gunnery firing, and ongoing missile programs firing weapons from fixed and mobile locations on the ground.
Increased hazardous airborne weapons/munitions releases would involve new ATL and ABL operations and joint battlefield air operations. Live-fire air combat training would use specialized bombing and gunnery sites. An increase of 25 percent over FY 2007 levels is projected.
An increase of 25 percent over FY ’07 levels in non-hazardous airborne weapons/munitions releases would include UAS operations and perations for tests and training purposes.
Under Alternative 1, there may be a 25 percent increase in helicopter and fixed-wing equipment at WSMR to support range management activities. Operations would be similar to those currently performed and staged from WSMR airfields, Holloman AFB, or other nearby airfields.
WSMR personnel expect that UASs would perform some range maintenance tasks, such as surveillance of and identification of missile impact sites and debris areas in the future.