GREENVILLE, Ky. –
Leaders from the Kentucky Guard, along with state and federal representatives, were on hand for the groundbreaking of the new multi-purpose machine gun range at the Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center in Greenville, Dec. 13, 2024.
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Flickr: Kentucky Guard breaks ground on its first machine gun range for enhanced readiness
The new range will have five firing lanes for Soldiers to utilize. Three lanes will be capable of firing up to 1,500 meters and two lanes at up to 800 meters. The range will enable units to train and qualify on light and heavy machine guns, as well as long-range rifles, grenade launcher, and sniper systems. This new training capability will increase unit training efficiency by reducing reliance on outside agencies while enhancing overall combat power and lethality.
According to retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Steven King, chief of staff, Kentucky Army National Guard, this project is “two decades in the making.” The project has been up for approval on the Future Years Defense Plan six times but was removed each time for one reason or another. It was originally approved in 2009 but removed in 2015 when Army regulations changed. With the help of federal and state partners, the KYNG secured $9 million in funding to convert the existing land and infrastructure at WHFRTC for developing the new training range.
Kentucky Guard units have struggled in previous years to compete with Active Army and Reserve units for training space and time at locations like Fort Knox, Fort Campbell and Camp Atterbury. The Soldiers may be part-time, but readiness is a full-time mission for the Commonwealth. The new range built and controlled by the Kentucky Guard gives leaders more flexibility to train at our own facilities, minimizing travel time and maximize training time.
“As a new battalion commander, having adequate training areas to use was one of the challenges that we faced,” said King. “We just don't have the time to be able to split these units off. You don't just show up somewhere and fire. You've got to go draw the range. You've got to draw barracks. You've got to arrange for meals and mess halls. And then, of course, there's the windshield time getting there and actually getting our folks trained. So, this is a big day for us!”
King also stated that none of this project would be done if it wasn’t for the local and federal government agencies understanding the needs of the National Guard.
Several of those government representatives spoke to the audience of local officials and Guardsmen representing their affected units, including Robbin Taylor, state director, office of Sen. Mitch McConnell. Taylor noted that the world is more dangerous now than in decades past.
Taylor said that in order for the United States to maintain its strength at home and abroad, serious investments in our military installations and Service members--including the more than 7,000 who serve in the Kentucky National Guard--are required.
“For too long, Kentucky has lacked the facilities necessary to train its Guardsmen on crew-served weapons, requiring commanders to travel out of state or compete for precious time on federal installations,” said Taylor. “So today, we celebrate the beginning of a project that will transform the Wendell Ford Regional Training Center and allow our units to hone their mastery of heavy weapons for the first time here in [Western] Kentucky.”
She added.
“Sen. McConnell has been a vocal advocate for Kentucky’s National Guard,” said Taylor. “He is proud to deliver on this much-needed project to help you fulfill your missions more efficiently than ever before.”
Clark Arnold, field representative from the office of Sen. Rand Paul, echoed that sentiment as he spoke on the behalf of Sen. Paul.
“As a combat veteran myself, I am able to provide my boss with that unique perspective and that invigorates him to assure that your tax dollars are being spent appropriately,” said Arnold. “I’ve said that the only thing more expensive than fighting a war is losing a war. And he takes that to heart, especially when it comes to the appropriation of the monies that are needed to embolden our military to be able to defend our country against our adversaries in what is definitely going to be the future of large-scale ground combat operations.”
After the representatives spoke, Maj. Gen. Haldane B. Lamberton, Kentucky's adjutant general, thanked them for all the help that was given by the senators and local government officials before calling on them and other officials to officially break ground on the new range.
He closed out the ceremony with his remarks on the importance of adding this new training area to the Kentucky National Guard arsenal of ways to train the Soldiers.
“Having our own gun range is huge, it’s really huge,” said Lamberton. “Now we won't have to go hours out of our way any longer. This range will make the Kentucky National Guard more prepared, more efficient, and more lethal by reducing the need for as many outside resources and increasing the time available to train--all while saving money. It shows how federal, state, and local partners are working together to help our Soldiers succeed.”