Moving the Army Air Defense Artillery Center and School to Fort Sill, Okla., has been criticized because the post is not large enough to fire Patriot or Stinger missiles, according to a study commissioned by the Army.
"Operationally, it doesn't make any sense," said retired Col. John Yeisley, who ran Fort Bliss' Air Defense Test Directorate in the early '90s. "I don't know what (the impact) will be, but I'm concerned it hasn't been addressed."
The move is expected to be complete early next year. About 39 people in the test directorate will remain at Fort Bliss, and about six will go to Fort Sill to coordinate with the school, said Wes Orwig, chief of the group's support division. Testing air defense systems requires the large areas available at Fort Bliss and White Sands Missile Range, he said.
Yeah, the political decision-makers don't care, neither does the Army leadership. It's all about synergy and saving costs. In the 1995 BRAC, the Army Chemical School was told to pack up and leave Fort McClellan, AL, for Fort Leonard-Wood, MO, despite not having large enough ranges to practice blowing smoke and obscurants and having a very limited flame range. Leonard-Wood didn't have a live agent chemical testing chamber at the time, and it was (still is?) pretty hard to do realistic biological detection training (using simulants in the open) there. But it was more important to Ike Skelton to enhance Lost-in-the Wood's population than it was to prepare our soldiers for CB warfare.
But I feel your pain, ADA comrades. Honestly. Life goes on, however. This too shall pass.
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