Fort Indiantown Gap has secured $1.55 million in federal funding to construct a 10-lane multi-purpose machine gun range at the nation’s busiest National Guard Training Center.
The funding was included in FY24 Appropriations legislation recently signed into law by President Joe Biden.
This range is vital for meeting the training requirements of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, enabling personnel to hone crucial skills in detecting, identifying, and engaging both stationary and moving infantry and armor targets in tactical scenarios, U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser’s office said in a statement March 20. The project “will directly enhance the readiness and proficiency of National Guard units from across the country, thus bolstering our national security,” the release said.
“I am happy to have secured $1.55 million in federal funding for Fort Indiantown Gap,” Meuser said in the statement. “The construction of a multi-purpose machine gun range at The Gap will help ensure the brave men and women of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard are well-equipped to respond to any situation they may face. These funds will allow Fort Indiantown Gap to continue providing top-notch training to Guard personnel and meet all range training standards.”
Fort Indiantown Gap’s Training Center Commander, Col. Kevin Potts, also lauded the allocation.
“Fort Indiantown Gap is consistently one of the busiest National Guard training centers in the country,” Potts said in the statement. “The high training throughput is due to outstanding customer service by our team here, as well as the variety and caliber of ranges and training facilities here. “
“This Multi-Purpose Machine Gun Range is urgently needed to support current range training standards and will have a significant impact on our ability to continue to provide exceptional training. Without this range, we’ve had to deny multiple training events over several years.”
According to a statement from the Pennsylvania National Guard Public Affairs Office, the 18,000-acre facility at FTIG is the primary training site for the Pennsylvania National Guard and hosts training for National Guard members from other states, as well as active-duty and Reserve personnel from all branches of the military and law-enforcement personnel.
FTIG was the busiest National Guard training center in the country in 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2023, and it has been in the top three every year since 2013, the press office noted.
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