The Spartans and Romans justly earned reputations as two of the toughest (and winningest) ancient armies because they devoted so much time to rigorous training. That hasn’t changed – even in the age of computer modeling, nothing tops field exercises and test firing of weapons to get soldiers ready for combat.
That’s why the Army has begun exploring the idea of expanding Fort Carson’s Piñon Canyon training area to allow live firing of modern weaponry, including mobile artillery and tank-mounted armaments.
Live firing was banned on the existing 235,000-acre Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site in Las Animas County until 2003, when the rules were relaxed to permit small-arms fire, including .50-caliber machine guns. But heavy artillery with a range of 10 or 12 miles needs a lot more space. With another 10,000 to 12,000 troops expected to join the 14,000 soldiers already posted at Fort Carson, the need for more training space will grow.
The Army apparently isn’t necessarily interested in acquiring the entire 1 million-acre area around Piñon Canyon, but “potential areas of interest” are in parts of Pueblo, Otero and Las Animas counties, including the unincorporated town of Hoehne, two U.S. highways east and northeast of Trinidad, a section of the Santa Fe Trail and part of the Comanche National Grassland, an area that features the biggest array of dinosaur tracks in the United States.
The possible expansion is a reminder that expanding an Army base means more than economic growth spurred by the spending of military families. It also can mean big changes and adverse impacts on wide areas surrounding a base.
Some area farmers and ranchers may welcome a chance to sell their land, but others are up in arms. “I’m not too crazy about this at all,” said Paul Philpott, who raises corn, alfalfa and oats and runs a goat dairy on 285 acres. “What do we do? My brother and I have been here all our lives.”
Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., worries that the Army will use condemnation powers to acquire the land it wants and has set a meeting between military representatives and ranchers’ groups for May 13 in Pueblo. Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., has introduced a bill to bar the Army from using condemnation.
Condemnation is a political hot potato these days, but there should be careful study before its use for a legitimate government purpose is banned.
Equally important, the Army and regulators must do a thorough study on the possible effects of modern munitions on the environment, including local water supplies, before expansion of the training area is approved.
