No rocket firings in JBLM’s future, for now

Courtesy Photo | Soldiers with 1st Battalion, 94th Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Field Artillery Brigade, test fire a Reduced Range Practice Rocket at the Hayes Hill Firing Point on Lewis Main Sept. 27. The test firing was to gather sound data from 19 on- and off-base sensors. (Sgt. Jorge Higuera, 17th Field Artillery Brigade Public Affairs)  

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, UNITED STATES

03.03.2017

Story by Joseph Piek 

Joint Base Lewis-McChord Public Affairs Office     

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - For now, Joint Base Lewis-McChord senior Army leaders have decided to not pursue further environmental studies toward integrating the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System Reduced Range Practice Rockets into JBLM’s permanent training infrastructure, the base announced March 2.

Army leadership wants to place more efforts and resources into other training and operational requirements for the near future.

Last September, 27 rockets were fired during a three-day test on JBLM so monitors could record the sound levels generated by firing the practice rockets. According to the U.S. Army Public Health Command Noise Monitoring Study, none of the levels exceeded 130 decibels outside the JBLM boundary.

“Although the noise study states ‘HIMARS (RRPR) would not produce noise levels which exceed those from existing training operations at JBLM,’ we have other emerging priorities that we must put our efforts and resources toward at this time,” said Col. Daniel S. Morgan, JBLM commander. “We felt it was important to also consider input from our community partners as well before making this decision.”

Base officials sought an alternative not to have Soldiers travel with their equipment and vehicles to the Yakima Training Center for crew certification firing. The intent of September’s three days of HIMARS firing was to record sound levels generated by firing the practice rockets.

“After reviewing the (September 2016) test results, we took a very hard look at whether we could add RRPR to our training activities here at JBLM,” Morgan said. “While the Yakima Training Center is an option, it’s not a 365-day-a-year training solution for JBLM units, so having the flexibility to certify our HIMARS crews at JBLM would maximize our Soldiers’ sustained readiness.”

JBLM senior leaders point out that a lot of work and study has gone into the test, especially since HIMARS is one of the principal weapons currently being used in combat operations overseas.

JBLM leadership does not want to diminish the value of, or lose the work that’s been done. To preserve that effort and the great collaboration which went into the rocket noise test, the study and findings will serve as the basis for potential future discussion should the concept be revisited based on emerging requirements and priorities.

“We couldn’t have gotten to this point without the support of the communities that surround JBLM,” Morgan said. “We thank the Nisqually Tribe for their cooperation and collaboration in conducting the September test, and we thank the citizens of DuPont, Lacey, Yelm and Roy for providing us with timely feedback.”

• Date Taken: 03.03.2017
• Date Posted: 03.03.2017 17:41
• Story ID: 225662
• Location: JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, US