Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Expeditionary Training at Gila Bend Air Force Auxiliary Field and the Barry M. Goldwater Range East

In response to a new emphasis on training in increasingly relevant expeditionary combat skills, the Air Force proposes to (1) implement two recurring, pre-deployment expeditionary training programs at Gila Bend AFAF: Air Expeditionary Force (AEF) training and Expeditionary Thunderbolt Training (ETT) and (2) develop training capabilities at Gila Bend AFAF to support these programs. The 56th Fighter Wing current conducts these programs at Luke AFB with flight operations at BMGR East, but the Air Force proposes to relocate the training to the more austere environment available at the Gila Bend AFAF to simulate the conditions at a remote, deployed location and to train in an environment similar to that which may be encountered in combat deployments. It is anticipated that other BMGR users, such as Davis-Monthan AFB and the Army National Guard, would use the training facilities if they were established at the Gila Bend AFAF. The AEF training deployments would last one week, occur up to 20 times per year, involve 10-12 aircraft and up to 120 people, and would relocate approximately 3,120 to 3,600 take-off and landing operations to the Gila Bend AFAF from the installations from which they currently originate. ETT deployments would typically last three days (but could be up to five days), occur up to 50 times per year, involve approximately 30 to 50 people, and principally be limited to training at Gila Bend AFAF (but certain existing BMGR East roads would be used for vehicle convoy training). Two new expeditionary training areas are proposed at previously disturbed sites at Gila Bend AFAF: an operations area near the flight line and an expeditionary billeting area at a site formerly used for family housing. Aluminum framed tents and associated infrastructure would be erected at these sites and some existing support facilities and services would be used in support of the proposed training.