Kansas National Guard
Kansas National Guard troops no longer have to spend months in another state training before overseas deployments.
They do most of that training in Kansas, thanks to millions of dollars spent on new facilities in the last few years.
In October 2007, the 161st Field Artillery became the first unit to undergo pre-deployment training at the Great Plains Joint Regional Training Center near Salina. The 161st was able to stay in Kansas for an extra 45 days of deployment training. It then moved to Texas for final training before heading to Iraq.
In previous years, Kansas Guard units had to travel to other states - primarily Texas - for virtually all of their pre-deployment training because their home state didn't have the necessary facilities. The ability to train in Kansas cuts down on pre-deployment time and allows the soldiers to get on with their mission abroad and thus return home sooner.
"Travel time is not training time," Guard commander Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting said.
The 287th Sustainment Brigade from Wichita has been training at the center this spring and summer.
"That has made them much readier to deploy and it will cut their pre-deployment time," Bunting said. "We're very pleased with how this has worked."
The training is necessary because in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars Guard units have been sent to conduct missions that are different from what they were historically designed to do, Bunting said.
The state provided $9 million for Great Plains. That includes $5.1 million for Crisis City, a 66-acre mock city where the Guard and state emergency management first responders can train for disasters. Another $1.6 million in federal funds also was allocated for building projects at the center.
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just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
"The state provided $9 million for Great Plains."Just one more little indication of the money wasted on the War to Make the World Safe for War.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
If they were training to do what the national guard is supposed to do, which is provide security for the US, that'd be great. Instead, they're being sent off as poorly paid indentured mercenaries for private interests.
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
So, they can leave any time they want, mike? Ever heard of "stop-loss?" (HInt, it has nothing to do with Marx.)
RubyNRaaya (anonymous) says…
Crisis City is a site where they can train to respond to Disasters: like floods, tornadoes, haz-mat spills, etc.The set up they put in place first was to let them train for a "Train-Wreck", literally, however ironic. When, not IF, Lawrence, or your hometown, floods or is hit by a tornado, don't you want trained people ready to jump in to help you on short notice?Did you miss who was there helping in Greensburg?How about more recently in Soldier and Chapman?The only reason they were slow getting to Katrina was because their government people told them not to come!A quick search brought up hundreds of articles about National Guard troops helping in Disasters in the U.S.A., Just This Summer:sacramento, Calif. (07/11/2008) - An additional 2,000 National Guard troops were ordered to state active duty by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today to boost the state's....On June 7, 2nd Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group Soldiers from the West Virginia Army National Guard put aside ... to help liberate hundreds of Indiana Hoosiers from a dangerous flood that displaced thousands of residents and killed three.des moines, Iowa (07/01/2008) - Although terrorists are not responsible for the rain waters flooding the Midwest, at least one National Guard counter terrorism unit was wet and waist-deep in a battle here to protect their communities.....Nearly 6,000 National Guard members have assisted civil authorities and responded to callouts by their governors in five states for the destructive and record-setting Midwest floods since early June.
SteelHorseRider (anonymous) says…
"In previous years, Kansas Guard units had to travel to other states - primarily Texas - for virtually all of their pre-deployment training because their home state didn't have the necessary facilities. The ability to train in Kansas cuts down on pre-deployment time and allows the soldiers to get on with their mission abroad and thus return home sooner."They traveled to other states not because of a lack of facilities (isn't there a Fort Riley somewhere in KS???) but rather because the Army's evaluators are consolidated at specific locations so they can validate the units before going overseas.The Smoky Hill Ranges have been owned & used by the Guard for decades so this isn't something new. The Crisis City is new and I am sure this is a great facility.....but the real reason this is good for KS and Kansans is that it is owned & controlled by KS.
SteelHorseRider (anonymous) says…
bozo - "If they were training to do what the national guard is supposed to do, which is provide security for the US"The Guard has many missions. Disaster response, as ordered by the Governor is one of them, but also fighting our nation's wars (right or wrong), as ordered by the President, is another.