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News and Views

CONGRESS APPROVES $65.6 MILLION IN UPGRADES FOR 29 PALMS MARINE CORPS TRAINING CENTER

  WASHINGTON – The House and Senate have approved $65 million in projects requested by Congressman Jerry Lewis for the Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms as part of the final $447 billion Fiscal Year 2007 spending bill for the Department of Defense, Lewis said Friday. The funding will help speed development of an expanded urban warfare center at the Mojave Desert base, Lewis said.

“The training provided to our brave Marines at the Twentynine Palms base is some of the most advanced in the world, and this funding will add another important dimension to their skills,” said Lewis, who is Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. “Our operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have shown that it is critical to have a strong training program in modern urban warfare.”

The funding will help the Marine Corps speed up expansion of a current facility known as Mojave Viper, a large “village” complex which has provided nearly all of the Marines in the Middle East with realistic and invaluable training in dealing with urban warfare and civilian interaction, Lewis said.

   During a visit to Twentynine Palms by President Bush last spring, Lewis toured one of the two Mojave Viper villages at the Twentynine Palms base. The villages include a mosque and buildings that are designed to replicate real conditions in the nations where Marines are facing combat situations. Marines and actors in costume help those in training learn how to deal with insurgents mingling with law-abiding citizens.

 

“It is clear that these exercises in our California desert are saving Marines’ lives in Iraq and Afghanistan ,” Lewis said. “This 21st Century training facility provides cutting-edge experience for the kind of engagements our troops will face in years to come.”

 

The Marines have developed a plan to create a much-expanded urban facility that allows for the coordinated training of battalion-size forces. The Defense Appropriations bill includes $60.8 million to speed up development of this facility, potentially bringing it online in time to provide vital training for troops in current engagements, Lewis said. The Senate is expected to approve the final version of the bill and send it to the President this week.

 

“The Congress is committed to providing a world-class facility for our Marines, who are defending our nation against terrorism and supporting freedom around the world,” Lewis said. “Every training dollar that we invest here will save Marines’ lives and help them deal with the complex assignments of helping citizens in Iraq and Afghanistan overcome terrorism.”

 

In addition to the Defense Appropriations funding, the House has already approved $19 million requested by Lewis for the urban warfare center as part of the Fiscal Year 2007 Military Quality of Life Appropriations bill. That bill has not yet been approved by the Senate.

 

The Pentagon spending bill was approved on a 394-22 vote in the House and 100-0 in the Senate. President Bush has said he will sign it, and its provisions take effect on Oct. 1, the beginning of the federal fiscal year.

Other funding approved by Congress for the Twentynine Palms base in the Defense spending bill includes:

-                     $3.2 million for development of new technology that will allow for much more precise tracking of jet fighters and helicopters in the mountainous terrain around Twentynine Palms. The technology has the potential to vastly improve the control of the total airspace around a battlefield in this type of terrain.

-                     $1.6 million to develop technology that can provide a sophisticated aerial survey of training areas to detect unexploded ordinance. This is an urgently-needed capability that will allow faster cleanup in military training areas to improve the environment and safety.

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