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| Fort Irwin National Training Center | |
|---|---|
| San Bernardino County, California | |
 | |
 An aerial view of Fort Irwin, 2009 | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Training center |
| Owner | United States Army |
| Controlled by | U.S. Army Combined Arms Command |
| Condition | In use |
| Location | |
  Fort Irwin Position in California Show map of California Fort Irwin Fort Irwin (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates | 35°14′47″N116°40′55″W / 35.24639°N 116.68194°W /35.24639; -116.68194 |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1940 |
| In use | 1940–1942; 1951–1972; 1980–present. |
| Garrison information | |
| Current commander | BG Brandon Anderson (Commanding General) COL Steven L. Chadwick (Garrison Commander) |
| Occupants | Blackhorse Operations Group:Ghost Team (Information Advantage)Bronco Team (Brigade Trainers)Scorpions (the Green Team, America’s First O/C team) Cobras (the Blue Team, the Cavalry Trainers) The Mighty Goldminer Team |
Fort Irwin National Training Center (Fort Irwin NTC) is a majortraining area for theUnited States military in theMojave Desert in northernSan Bernardino County, California. Fort Irwin is at an average elevation of 2,454 feet (748 m).[1] It is located 37 miles (60 km) northeast ofBarstow, in theCalico Mountains.
The National Training Center is part of theUS Army Combined Arms Command (CAC). Theopposing force at the National Training Center is the11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, the Blackhorse Cavalry, who are stationed at the base to provide an opposing force to units on a training rotation at Fort Irwin. In September 2017, a state-of-the-art hospital was opened that provides healthcare services to the Fort Irwin beneficiaries.
Fort Irwin works within theR-2502 Special Use Airspace Complex.
The Fort Irwin area has a history dating back almost 15,000 years, whenNative Americans of theLake Mojave Period were believed to have lived in the area. Native American settlements and pioneer explorations in the area were first recorded when the Spanish missionary PadreFrancisco Garces traveled theMohave Trail withMohave Indian guides in 1776. 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 the area.
Jedediah Smith is thought to have been the first European American to explore the area in 1826. A fur trapper, Smith was soon followed by other pioneers traveling theOld Spanish Trail between Santa Fe and Los Angeles. The trail crossed the area on the eastern edge of Fort Irwin, betweenSalt Spring and theMojave River. The Old Spanish Trail passed throughSilurian Valley, then west through theAvawatz Mountains atRed Pass and beyond theplaya ofRed Pass Lake, through a gap between theSoda andTiefort Mountains to Bitter Spring in a wash in the next valley.
Bitter Spring was the only reliable watering and grazing place along the route. From Bitter Spring the trail led 18.75 miles (30.18 km) southwest climbingAlvord Mountain to crossImpassable Pass to descendSpanish Canyon and cross the plains to the location ofFork of the Road on the north side of theMojave River where it met theMohave Trail.
In 1844, CaptainJohn C. Fremont, accompanied byKit Carson, was the first member of the US Army to visit the Fort Irwin area. Captain Fremont established a camp near Bitter Springs as he pioneered a route that served travelers on the Old Spanish Trail, and later theMormon Road, linking Salt Lake City to California. This camp was later to become an important water and grazing place for pioneers crossing the Mojave Desert during California's settlement and gold rush.
TheCalifornia Gold Rush brought prosperous trade and unexpected trouble to the area. As California grew, and more travelers and freighters used the Mormon Road to cross the territory between California and Utah, raids and horse stealing became a problem. In 1847, the Army'sMormon Battalion patrolled the Fort Irwin area to control the raiding and horse stealing. By 1855 it became part of the route of the freight wagon road betweenLos Angeles andSalt Lake City.[2]: 13, 15 During theBitter Spring Expedition in 1860 the Army constructedCamp Bitter Springs, a small stone fort overlooking Bitter Spring and patrolled the Fort Irwin area.[3]
In the 1880s the area experienced an economic boom with the discovery ofborax atDeath 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 ofBarstow.
The years following the Indian Wars were quiet militarily. In 1940, PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt established theMojave Anti-Aircraft Range, a military reservation of approximately 1,000 square miles (3,000 km2) in the area of the present Fort Irwin. In 1942, the Mojave Anti-Aircraft Range was renamed Camp Irwin, in honor of Major GeneralGeorge LeRoy Irwin, commander of the57th Field Artillery Brigade duringWorld War I, and it was subsumed into theDesert 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.
In 1951, Camp Irwin reopened its gates as the Armored Combat Training Area, and served as a training center for combat units during theKorean War. Regimental tank companies of theU.S. 43d Infantry Division fromCamp Pickett, Virginia were the first to train at the new facility.
In August 1961, the garrison was designated a permanent installation and renamed Fort Irwin. During the Vietnam buildup, many units, primarily artillery and engineer, trained and deployed from Fort Irwin.
In January 1971, the garrison was deactivated again and placed in maintenance status under the control ofFort MacArthur (Los Angeles), California. TheCalifornia National Guard assumed responsibility for the garrison and from 1972 to 1980, Fort Irwin was used primarily as a training area byArmy National Guard andU.S. Army Reserve units.
On 9 August 1979, the Department of the Army announced that Fort Irwin had been selected asNational Training Center (NTC). The location – an isolated area – was ideal because of its over 1,000 square miles (2,600 km2) capacity for maneuver and ranges, its uncluttered electromagnetic spectrum, and its restricted airspace. The National Training Center was officially activated 16 October 1980, and Fort Irwin was transferred from theCalifornia Army National Guard back to theRegular Army returning into active status on 1 July 1981.
The NTC was unique in its training approach in the use ofReal Time Location System (originally a General Dynamics microwave transponder system; later replaced by GPS); the use of lasers to simulate direct fire (including small arms); and the use of real time interactive computer models for indirect fire along with Air to Ground and Ground to Air missile systems. Originally developed as a prototype by the US Army's Fort Hunter-Liggett with Systems and Software design theBDM, the NTC system was the first to augmentAfter Action Reviews of training exercises with video and maneuver overlays including time stamped combat events.
Since its activation, the NTC has witnessed many other firsts. Among the first units to train against theOpposing Force (OPFOR) were 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry and 1st Battalion 77th Armor, 4th Infantry Division (Mech) fromFort Carson, Colorado in Spring 1978 as a proof of concept FX for establishing Irwin as the NTC, the 3rd Battalion 67th Armor, 2nd Armored Division fromFort Hood, Texas in operation TASK FORCE IRWIN III, 1 Aug – 14 Sept, 1979, and 3rd Brigade,1st Cavalry Division from Fort Hood, Texas in spring 1981.
Ft Irwin and the 1st CAV tested and implemented theMultiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES). 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 ofM1 Abrams tanks and later in the fall of 1985 saw theM2 Bradley fighting vehicles on the NTC battlefield. The first armored cav. squadron rotation occurred in November 1984. Units from the101st Airborne Division participated in the first light force rotation in March 1985. The197th 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; the7th Infantry Division (Light) from Fort Ord and the24th Infantry Division (Mechanized) fromFort Stewart, Georgia participated. The firstMOUT (Military Operations in Urban Terrain) mission was conducted at the NTC Pioneer Training Facility in December 1993.
In 1980, during the re-opening of the NTC, the OPFOR consisted of a re-activation of the 6th Battalion,31st Infantry, "The Polar Bears," from the7th Infantry Division, based inFort Ord, California, and the 1st Battalion,73rd Armor. In 1985, once the US Army turned to regimental units, the OPFOR was redesignated the 177th Armored Brigade (SEP).
The OPFOR soldiers were dressed in Soviet-style armor uniforms including black berets, Soviet-style insignias, and usedM551 Sheridans visuallymodified to resembleBMP-1 vehicles andT-72 tanks. In their OPFOR role, the Infantry Battalion was designated as the 32nd Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment.U.S. Marine Corps (USMC),U.S. Army Reserve andArmy National Guard units would support infantry roles for the OPFOR.
Air support and air combat tactics came fromUSAF fighter wings operating fromNellis AFB andGeorge AFB.USN strike squadrons operated fromNAS Lemoore,USMC fighter/attack squadrons operated fromMCAS El Toro, and USMC helicopter attack squadrons operated fromMCAS Tustin. In the 1990s, when George AFB, MCAS El Toro and MCAS Tustin were closed as a result ofBase Realignment and Closure Commission actions, USAF air support shifted to composite fighter wings from Nellis AFB,Hill AFB,Luke AFB andDavis-Monthan AFB. USMC air support shifted toMCAS Miramar (formerlyNAS Miramar),MCAS Yuma andMCAS Camp Pendleton.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the NTC 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 both Active and Reserve Component US Army units from all over the United States. The command centers of these large-scale battles were computerized in a central command post, where each battle was recorded and analyzed. The results were debriefed to the participants.
After theSeptember 11, 2001 attacks, the NTC transformed to focus on continuous counterinsurgency ops that reflected a rapidly changing battlefield, especially in desert climate environments.
Following the United Stateswithdraw from Afghanistan in 2021 and theRussian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, The National Training Center began to train soldiers for future fights against major near-peer adversaries.[4]
The Post is composed of theFort Irwin garrison with general support facilities such as:
TheNational Training Center element of the Post which consists of the following units:
The NTC at Fort Irwin continues to serve as one of the US Army's main training centers. All US military services, as well as other government agencies and some foreign military units train at the NTC. A common tradition for any visiting military unit is to paint their sign on one of the rock formations near the main gate. Units of all types and locations are represented.
NTC training is not easy. The exercises incorporate complex scenarios exposing the units to detailed hybrid threats. Facing a strong opposing force and an insurgent force, at the same time, they must assist local people in towns and villages in the area in any way possible.
One of the NTC features is the presence of 12 mock-up "villages" used to train troops inMilitary Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) prior to their deployment. Collectively known as thefictional country of Atropia, these villages have religious sites, hotels, traffic circles, etc. filled with foreign 'locals'. These are Arabic speaking roleplaying actors portraying government officials, local militia, police, military, villagers, street vendors and insurgents. They will confront the military with all kinds of all-day problems.
The largest two villages are known as Razish and Ujen, the closest located about 30 minutes from the main part of the post. The largest village has 585 buildings that can engage an entire brigade combat team into a fight. The training uses simulated and liveUnmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), theMultiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES) and incorporates multi-national forces and social media actions.
Observer, Controller and Trainers (OCTs) are embedded with the training units frombrigade down toplatoon level. Some villages are completely instrumented, including video recording, to assist the OC/T teams in providing feedback to the training unit.
Fort Irwin has a total area of 2,579.77 km2 (996.05 sq mi). 0.3277 km2 of this area is water, according to theUnited States Census Bureau. The CDP covers an area of 7.1 square miles (18 km2), all of it land.
TheGoldstone Deep Space Communications Complex is within its territory on the western side. TheZIP Code is 92310. The reservation is insidearea codes 442 and 760.
Fort Irwin has ahot desert climate within theKöppen climate classification system, abbreviated "BWh" on climate maps.[5]
| Climate data for Bicycle Lake AAF Elev: 2,350ft (1982, 1986, 1991-1998, 2006, 2010-2014 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 77 (25) | 86 (30) | 91 (33) | 96 (36) | 107 (42) | 113 (45) | 113 (45) | 114 (46) | 106 (41) | 102 (39) | 86 (30) | 74 (23) | 114 (46) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 58 (14) | 62 (17) | 69 (21) | 76 (24) | 83 (28) | 95 (35) | 100 (38) | 99 (37) | 93 (34) | 79 (26) | 65 (18) | 57 (14) | 78 (26) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 42 (6) | 43 (6) | 49 (9) | 53 (12) | 59 (15) | 69 (21) | 76 (24) | 76 (24) | 71 (22) | 59 (15) | 49 (9) | 42 (6) | 57 (14) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 20 (−7) | 18 (−8) | 30 (−1) | 35 (2) | 42 (6) | 46 (8) | 46 (8) | 46 (8) | 44 (7) | 31 (−1) | 7 (−14) | 18 (−8) | 7 (−14) |
| Source: AFCCC (extremes 1982, 1986, 1991-1998, 2006, 2010-2014)[6] | |||||||||||||
Fort Irwin | |
|---|---|
 The location of Fort Irwin in San Bernardino County, California. | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | San Bernardino |
| Elevation | 2,464 ft (751 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 8,096 |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| ZIP Code | 92310 |
| Area codes | 442/760 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2628733 |
| U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Fort Irwin CDP | |
In 2010, theUnited States Census Bureau designated Fort Irwin as a separatecensus-designated place (CDP)[7] for statistical purposes, covering the residential population. Per the2020 census, the population was 8,096.[8]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 8,845 | — | |
| 2020 | 8,096 | −8.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1850–1870[10][11] 1880–1890[12] 1900[13] 1910[14] 1920[15] 1930[16] 1940[17] 1950[18] 1960[19] 1970[20] 1980[21] 1990[22]2000[23] 2010[7] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2010[24] | Pop 2020[25] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 4,567 | 3,555 | 51.63% | 43.91% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 1,008 | 1,066 | 11.40% | 13.17% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 67 | 90 | 0.76% | 1.11% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 379 | 508 | 4.28% | 6.27% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | 110 | 145 | 1.24% | 1.79% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 30 | 55 | 0.34% | 0.68% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 423 | 538 | 4.78% | 6.65% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2,261 | 2,139 | 25.56% | 26.42% |
| Total | 8,845 | 8,096 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
The2020 United States census reported that Fort Irwin had a population of 8,096. The population density was 1,162.4 inhabitants per square mile (448.8/km2). The racial makeup of Fort Irwin was 52.2%White, 14.5%African American, 2.0%Native American, 6.5%Asian, 1.8%Pacific Islander, 8.8% fromother races, and 14.1% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino of any race were 26.4% of the population.[26]
In 2020, 84.0% of the population lived in households and 16.0% lived in non-institutionalized group quarters.[26]
There were 2,331 households, out of which 54.1% included children under the age of 18, 70.4% were married-couple households, 1.0% werecohabiting couple households, 8.6% had a female householder with no partner present, and 20.1% had a male householder with no partner present. 19.6% of households were one person, and 0.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.92.[26] There were 1,832families (78.6% of all households).[27]
The age distribution was 31.1% under the age of 18, 23.4% aged 18 to 24, 40.7% aged 25 to 44, 4.4% aged 45 to 64, and 0.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 132.8 males.[26]
There were 2,462 housing units at an average density of 353.5 units per square mile (136.5 units/km2), of which 2,331 (94.7%) were occupied. Of these, 1.2% were owner-occupied, and 98.8% were occupied by renters.[26]
In 2023, the median household income was $66,964, and theper capita income was $28,872. About 10.0% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the poverty line.[28]
TheFort Irwin Solar Project, launched in 2009, will be the largestrenewable energy project in the DoD's history. This plan is expected to result in more than 500 MW of renewable energy with one billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) ofsolar power generated per year by 2022.[29]
The CDP is in theSilver Valley Unified School District.[30] It is the school district for families on-post.[31]
CongressmanJerry Lewis Elementary School, Tiefort View Intermediate School, and Fort Irwin Middle School are on-post. The comprehensive high school isSilver Valley High School, located off-post.
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