La Posta Mountain Warfare Training Facility
Encyclopedia
La Posta Mountain Warfare Training Facility (MWTF), located at 3500 ft (1,066.8 m) elevation 50 miles (80.5 km) east of San Diego, near the city of Campo
, in San Diego County, is a 1063 acres (4 km²) training facility used by the Naval Special Warfare Center
.
, and a 5,000 m length mountain endurance training course. The Navy has operated on the 1300 acres (5 km²) plus acres since the early 1960s, and is seeking to set aside an additional 4486 acres (18.2 km²) of federal Bureau of Land Management
property for the facility. The Mountain Warfare Training Facility served as a satellite tracking station for many years until current technology made the giant tracking dishes obsolete. The property was reconfigured as a training center when the station was shut down in 1986.
gave permission for the Naval Special Warfare Command to use the site for mountain warfare training of the Naval Special Warfare Group One which trains its SEAL
and SDV teams there, and conducts BUD/S classes.
makes it an ideal location for special reconnaissance training, map and compass training, and other specialized special warfare training. La Posta, like San Clemente Island
, is one of the few places that allow special forces to train in a real life environment with limited encroachment problems.
Campo, California
Campo is a census-designated place located in the Mountain Empire area of southeastern San Diego County, California. The population was 2,684 at the 2010 census....
, in San Diego County, is a 1063 acres (4 km²) training facility used by the Naval Special Warfare Center
Naval Special Warfare Center
The United States Phil Bucklew Naval Special Warfare Center is a component command of the Naval Special Warfare Command and is sited within Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, California....
.
History
The 1063 acres (4 km²) site has a firing range, an administration building, barracksBarracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
, and a 5,000 m length mountain endurance training course. The Navy has operated on the 1300 acres (5 km²) plus acres since the early 1960s, and is seeking to set aside an additional 4486 acres (18.2 km²) of federal Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
property for the facility. The Mountain Warfare Training Facility served as a satellite tracking station for many years until current technology made the giant tracking dishes obsolete. The property was reconfigured as a training center when the station was shut down in 1986.
Operations
In 1998, Naval Base CoronadoNaval Base Coronado
Naval Base Coronado is a consolidated Navy installation encompassing eight military facilities stretching from San Clemente Island, located seventy miles west of San Diego, California, to the La Posta Mountain Warfare Training Facility and Camp Morena, located sixty miles east of San...
gave permission for the Naval Special Warfare Command to use the site for mountain warfare training of the Naval Special Warfare Group One which trains its SEAL
Seal
Seal commonly refers to:* Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals many of which are commonly called seals* Seal , a device which helps prevent leakage, contain pressure, or exclude contamination where two systems join...
and SDV teams there, and conducts BUD/S classes.
Its close proximity to most military bases in San Diego County allows for maximum training time with limited travel time and expense for its Group One. The unencumbered area around La Posta and its proximity to the Laguna Mountains
The La Posta Navy Mountain Warfare Training Facility plays a critical role in military training because the area’s land and terrain closely resemble the environments found in Korea and parts of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Laguna Mountains
The Laguna Mountains are a section of the Peninsular Ranges in eastern San Diego County, California. The mountains run in a northwest/southeast alignment for approximately ....
makes it an ideal location for special reconnaissance training, map and compass training, and other specialized special warfare training. La Posta, like San Clemente Island
San Clemente Island
San Clemente Island is the southernmost of the Channel Islands of California. It is owned and operated by the United States Navy, and is a part of Los Angeles County. Defined by the United States Census Bureau as Block Group 2 of Census Tract 5991 of Los Angeles County, California, it is long and...
, is one of the few places that allow special forces to train in a real life environment with limited encroachment problems.
Sources
- Cliff Hollenbeck, Dick Couch, To Be A U.S. Navy Seal, Zenith Imprint, 2003 ISBN 0-7603-1404-7