thedrifter
08-02-07, 08:05 AM
MCAGCC may be in market for more land
By KURT SCHAUPPNER / The Desert Trail
MCAGCC — The Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center is looking to buy some land, some of it in Twentynine Palms.
Property owners with land bordering the Combat Center should not put out their for sale signs just yet, however, as any actual purchase of land will be preceded by three to five years of study.
“Nothing happens quickly,” Combat Center Public Affairs Director Capt. Neal Fisher said Monday, July 30, noting that it will be “three to five years before we are ready to execute anything.”
At this point, he added, Brig. Gen. Melvin G. Spiese, commanding general of the Combat Center, is advising community leaders of the study and the eventual intent to purchase land and expand the boundaries of the Combat Center to the west, south and northeast.
“We are in the early stages and we just want to let folks know what we are doing,” Fisher said.
“During this study we will be analyzing land contiguous to the installation on all boundaries for potential acquisition, as well as any airspace requirements to support training in the respective area,” Spiese wrote in a letter to The Desert Trail dated July 30.
In the letter he explained that the land acquisition will be part of the training capability modernization program.
“To date, only 40 percent of the Combat Center is available for maneuver training; the remaining 60 percent of the land area are self-imposed safety buffer zones, protected environmental and cultural resource areas, and not easily accessible mountainous terrain,” he wrote.
He noted that Congress recently approved a request by the commandant of the Marine Corps to increase the size of the Corps to 202,000.
“As a result of the increase, training requirements and demands may change,” he wrote. “The additional land would afford the Combat Center the ability to accommodate the growing force, providing important training opportunities.
“It is imperative that Marines receive the most realistic training before deploying into a combat environment which demands split-second life or death decisions,” Spiese wrote.
“The land parcel additions would allow Marines to ‘train as they fight’ at a large-scale Marine Air Ground Task Force level. This critical training will push Marines to their physical, mental and emotional limits, ultimately saving lives on the battlefield.”
Spiese also wrote about the relationship between the Marine Corps and the Hi-Desert.
“In the 54 years the Marines have been in the Hi-Desert, we have consistently kept our relationship with our neighbors and the environment high on our list of priorities,” he wrote. “This potential land acquisition process will be no different. We will continue to work together with you to ensure that the Marine Corps’ presence in the Morongo Basin is mutually beneficial.”
Ellie
By KURT SCHAUPPNER / The Desert Trail
MCAGCC — The Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center is looking to buy some land, some of it in Twentynine Palms.
Property owners with land bordering the Combat Center should not put out their for sale signs just yet, however, as any actual purchase of land will be preceded by three to five years of study.
“Nothing happens quickly,” Combat Center Public Affairs Director Capt. Neal Fisher said Monday, July 30, noting that it will be “three to five years before we are ready to execute anything.”
At this point, he added, Brig. Gen. Melvin G. Spiese, commanding general of the Combat Center, is advising community leaders of the study and the eventual intent to purchase land and expand the boundaries of the Combat Center to the west, south and northeast.
“We are in the early stages and we just want to let folks know what we are doing,” Fisher said.
“During this study we will be analyzing land contiguous to the installation on all boundaries for potential acquisition, as well as any airspace requirements to support training in the respective area,” Spiese wrote in a letter to The Desert Trail dated July 30.
In the letter he explained that the land acquisition will be part of the training capability modernization program.
“To date, only 40 percent of the Combat Center is available for maneuver training; the remaining 60 percent of the land area are self-imposed safety buffer zones, protected environmental and cultural resource areas, and not easily accessible mountainous terrain,” he wrote.
He noted that Congress recently approved a request by the commandant of the Marine Corps to increase the size of the Corps to 202,000.
“As a result of the increase, training requirements and demands may change,” he wrote. “The additional land would afford the Combat Center the ability to accommodate the growing force, providing important training opportunities.
“It is imperative that Marines receive the most realistic training before deploying into a combat environment which demands split-second life or death decisions,” Spiese wrote.
“The land parcel additions would allow Marines to ‘train as they fight’ at a large-scale Marine Air Ground Task Force level. This critical training will push Marines to their physical, mental and emotional limits, ultimately saving lives on the battlefield.”
Spiese also wrote about the relationship between the Marine Corps and the Hi-Desert.
“In the 54 years the Marines have been in the Hi-Desert, we have consistently kept our relationship with our neighbors and the environment high on our list of priorities,” he wrote. “This potential land acquisition process will be no different. We will continue to work together with you to ensure that the Marine Corps’ presence in the Morongo Basin is mutually beneficial.”
Ellie