Fort Bliss
Fort Bliss is the home of the Air Defense Artillery Center of Excellence and is responsible for air defense artillery training of U.S. soldiers and various allied nation soldiers. It also the home of seven Forces Command warfighting units - the 32d Army Air and Missile Defense Command, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade, the 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, the 204th MI Battalion, and the 978th Military Police Company. Over its distinguished history, Fort Bliss has served as an infantry post, a cavalry post, and today serves as the premier Air Defense Center of Excellence. With 1.1 million acres, this post is bigger than the state of Rhode Island and can accommodate every weapon system in the Army. Excellent ranges and training area, coupled with the third longest runway in the nation, make Fort Bliss a premiere facility for training, mobilization and deploying combat forces.

The U.S. Army?s Air Defense and Artillery Center and Fort Bliss (USAADACENFB) is a U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) installation. It is the only U.S. Army training installation in the continental U.S. capable of firing long-range Air Defense Artillery missiles, such as Patriot, HAWK and eventually the Theater High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) System.

Fort Bliss, a U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) installation, is comprised of approximately 1.12 million acres of land in Texas and New Mexico. The Main Cantonment Area of Fort Bliss is located adjacent to El Paso, Texas. The installation also includes McGregor Range (which is the subject of this LEIS) and Do?a Ana Range?North Training Areas in New Mexico, and the South Training Areas in Texas.

Fort Bliss is one of 16 installations under the management of TRADOC. It is the home of the U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery Center and Fort Bliss (USAADACENFB), the U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery (ADA) School, and over 30 partner units and organizations. It is the second largest Army post, and is the only troop training installation in the U.S. capable of supporting long-range overland missile firings. Activities supported by Fort Bliss include troop and equipment training, as well as air defense and air-to-ground training, and ground maneuver training.

Fort Bliss is the largest installation in TRADOC (1.1 Million Acres), and the second largest in the Army (WSMR is the largest and is adjacent to Ft. Bliss). Ft. Bliss is the largest Maneuver Area in the Army, at 550 square miles, which is three times the size of the National Training Center. It provides the largest contiguous tract of virtually unrestricted airspace in the Continental United States (1500 Square Miles).

Over 90% of Fort Bliss training areas are located in New Mexico. Many of New Mexico National Guard (NMNG) units perform their two weeks of annual training at Fort Bliss, as well as weekend Field Training Exercises. In accordance with the National Total Force Policy, combined with a shrinking operations and training budget throughout DoD, it is only reasonable that Fort Bliss and the NMNG work in a spirit of cooperation to find cost effective ways to train. Therefore the NMNG and Fort Bliss established an Interagency Support Agreement (ISA) for ITAM support to NMNG when training on Fort Bliss or in the NMNG training areas. This ISA provides both Fort Bliss and NMNG a means to enhance training through use of the Training Management Support resources of Fort Bliss.

Fort Bliss is comprised of a complex of facilities, training areas, and ranges to support training and test activities of the Army and other organizations, including the Main Cantonment Area, and the Fort Bliss Training Complex: McGregor Range, Do?a Ana Range?North Training Areas, and South Training Areas.

Currently, four air-defense brigades assigned to the U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) are stationed at Fort Bliss. These units utilize McGregor Range to support firing of Patriot missiles, unit FTXs, and individual training at the Meyer Range Complex. The U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Battalion (USACASB) provides the management, control, maintenance, and operation of the Fort Bliss field training areas, including McGregor Range. The organization?s responsibilities also include scheduling and controlling the overlying airspace (Restricted Area R-5103), range camps, and associated facilities and equipment.

The ADA School educates and trains U.S. military students (active duty and reserve components), civilians, and students of selected allied forces, in air defense artillery and other subjects that support the air defense mission. The 6th ADA Brigade supports the ADA School through advanced individual training, and supports training of U.S. Army, Army National Guard, Army Reserves, Marine Corps, allies, and other students. The 6th ADA Brigade operates in a semi-classroom environment on McGregor Range with limited field exercises. The 6th ADA Brigade uses McGregor Range for training with Bradley Linebacker, Avenger, and man-portable Stinger missiles.

Ft. Bliss will continue to be a valuable training ground for U.S. and allied military units. Future use and development of the ranges will be driven by the mission of the installation. First and foremost, Ft. Bliss' mission underscores the necessity to be prepared for combat operations with trained and ready forces which can deploy rapidly to areas of crisis. This includes active duty (FORSCOM) ADA brigades stationed at Ft. Bliss and reserve components which will activate and mobilize during an emergency.

The Ft. Bliss Training Complex (FBTC) consist of three major areas -- McGregor Ranges, Dona Ana Ranges, and the North and South Training Areas. McGregor Ranges include McGregor Range, Meyer Small Arms Range, SHORAD Range, and Orogrande Range. Each of the ranges has an appropriate complement of range support facilities. Within the FBTC, there are three base camps (McGregor, Dona Ana, and Orogrande).

The training activities occurring on these ranges are extremely diverse and are dependent on the unique characteristics of the terrain of each area. The type of training varies from small unit ground troop maneuvers, to aerial training missions including parachute drops, helicopter and other aircraft operations, live artillery fire, combat vehicle maneuvering, and high altitude missile firings. Ft. Bliss supports the training requirements of a variety of U.S. and allied military units as well as other federal agencies.

The natural environmental setting and diversity of the Ft. Bliss Training Complex are unique among U.S. military installations. The combined ranges and training areas encompass more than 1 million acres, approximately 70 miles from north to south and approximately 30 miles from east to west. Elevations range from 3,900 feet near the South Training Area to 8,600 feet in the Organ Mountains. Within its boundaries are grazing, forest, and remote areas that support hunting and other forms of public outdoor recreation. These lands also contain sensitive ecosystems, and protected cultural and historic resources.

In 1849, after a year of reconnaissance, seven companies of the Third Infantry were ordered to the vital mountain pass, El Paso del Norte, which originally was a settlement divided by the Rio Grande. In time, the settlement became two separate cities, today's El Paso and Ciudad Juarez. The troops came 673 miles from San Antonio, through hostile Indian country. Three months later they had established a military post on the banks north of the Rio Grande in an area north of today's Union Depot. In 1854, the Army post was named Fort Bliss in honor of Lieutenant Colonel W. W. S. Bliss, a scholar who was an aide to General Zachary Taylor.

During the first few decades of its existence, Fort Bliss was moved five times, twice abandoned as excess to military needs, and once, during the Civil War, flew the Confederate flag. Permanent buildings, of which a few still stand, were constructed at the post in 1892. From 1902 on through World War I, Fort Bliss was one of the nation's foremost cavalry posts. In 1914, General John J. Pershing assumed command of Fort Bliss and its 60,000 troops. Early Signal Corps aircraft were stationed there and the First Cavalry Division made its headquarters there from 1921 until departing for duty in the South Pacific during World War II. Before the end of World War II, Fort Bliss became an antiaircraft artillery center and became fully mechanized.

The Mescalero Apache have lands within the Fort Bliss Military Reservation where there are four known sacred peaks and some additional sites presently kept secret by the people. The four known locations are Guadalupe Peak, Organ Mountain, Three Sisters and Oscura Peak. All indications are that these peaks are part of the ancient history of the people, places where ceremonies were revealed, and sites which require continual ceremonial caretaking. Great care must be taken in making contact with traditional Mescaleros. The tribe is split along conservative/progressive lines because of a desire by the tribal government to accept an atomic waste treatment project and this business is viewed as anathema by traditional people.