Marines and sailors plan critical training at Camp Roberts
Some maneuvers will take place at night
United States Marines and sailors from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit at Camp Pendleton will train on Camp Roberts and Fort Hunter Liggett from Friday, Dec. 5 through Friday, Dec. 19. The training exercise could have an impact on local residents as they may hear helicopters and weapons fire through the training. According to Camp Roberts, measure are being taking to reduce the amount of noise associated with the training.
“The training is consistent with previous exercises going back to World War II,” California Army National Guard Director of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security at Camp Roberts Lt. Col. Ken Koop said. “There will be low-flying aircraft and occasional artillery firing that may be heard outside the boundaries of the installation. Most people will only hear distant rumbles from the base. Some nearby residents, depending on atmospheric conditions, may hear occasional louder noises.”
The training will include about 2,300 service members who will be divided between a command element and three major subordinate elements that will include ground combat, aviation and logistics equipment and personnel. Camp Roberts employs approximately 600 civilian and military personnel on a daily basis. National Guard bases are prohibited from operating permanent housing, so full-time staff live in the communities surrounding the base; however, those training there stay on base.
“Camp Roberts is designated by the Army as a ‘Maneuver Training Center – Heavy,'” Koop said. “It is the largest and most capable training area under control of the California Army National Guard, equipped to train a mechanized maneuver brigade, with all of its supporting artillery and aviation, to fight and win on the modern battlefield.”
According to Camp Roberts Public Information Officer Suzanne Thomas, most of the Marines and equipment will be based on Fort Hunter Liggett and will use vehicles to conduct training missions in the surrounding areas, including Camp Roberts. In order to provide realistic training, some of the maneuvers will occur after dark, which Thomas said will increase local air and ground traffic.
“The combination of these sites brings a dimension of urban realism and provides training,” Thomas wrote in a press release. “The exercise is conducted to maintain a high level of combat readiness as the 15th MEU prepares for deployment overseas in the spring.”
She said that the unit and Camp Roberts are sensitive to the impact this exercise may have on local residents and have the goal is to train safely with minimal interference. To ensure the safety of all those involved, all aspects of the training have been coordinated with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, and the Federal Aviation Administration.
Camp Roberts has only a couple of small units permanently assigned to the base, so it often hosts training for units stationed elsewhere. Koop said that as the pace of units being deployed overseas are slowed, more units are able to train at Camp Roberts. Most of the training events last two to three weeks, however the length depends on the type of unit and training objectives.
“For many Guard and Reserve units, Camp Roberts is their ‘home base,'” Koop said. ” For some units, their home base is overcrowded or it has become too familiar and they need to train on different terrain to sharpen skills for overseas deployments. Camp Roberts has unique training facilities – an urban training center, an explosive impact area, aviation facilities, and restricted use airspace – that are not found on other installations within hundreds of miles of here.”
