Fort Hunter Liggett conducted a ribbon cutting ceremony for The Army School System (TASS) new Training Center on Nov. 5, 2019. The new facility allows the 80th Training Command to train up to 2,000 Soldiers annually in six military occupational specialties.
Maj. Gen. Bruce Hackett, 80th Training Command’s Commanding General, was the keynote speaker. He compared Fort Hunter Liggett’s capabilities to its beginnings 78 years ago on the eve of World War II.
“From its inception Fort Hunter Liggett provided U.S. Army forces with a realistic training environment for large scale military operations,” said Hackett. “The readiness effort that went into training ‘the ‘Greatest Generation’ is exactly what we are replicating here today. We are creating a training environment to prepare our Soldiers to succeed in their future missions, both in and out of combat.”
Many of the Soldiers training at TASS are reclassifying into new job specialties, such as horizontal engineers, military police, transportation specialists, and psychological operations Soldiers.
“Six years of hard work and nearly $16.5 million have gone into this impressive building that will allow our instructors to provide the best possible training to the Army Reserve, National Guard, and Active component students,” said Hackett.
“Today, as we did 78 years ago, we find ourselves facing a wide range of challenges on a global scale. I am confident the graduates produced here will thrive in today’s complex security environment because of the knowledge and training our instructors will provide inside these walls. I am proud of the fact the Army Reserve instructors will be able to provide realistic and relevant training to standard in the best possible environment. Our graduates will maintain the competitive advantage over our adversaries in real world scenarios due to the skills and technology mastered in the Army’s newest TASS training center,” said Hackett.
Fort Hunter Liggett Garrison Commander Col. Charles Bell said, “We’re the largest Army Reserve installation and the seventh largest Army installation in the nation. We host an average of 40,000 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines annually. It’s great we’re going to have this state-of-the-art facility with all the modern amenities. I’m excited about the new capability and all it will bring in terms of what we can do now and what we can do in the future.”
Robert Rivas, District 30 Assemblymember, said, “Training is especially important to Soldiers whose will be in harm’s way and whose lives will be at risk as they do their duty to protect each and every one of us, and to protect this great country. Training done here will not only save lives, but will also prepare Soldiers for their life after their service. The skills acquired in leadership, technology, the lessons learned here are reasons why many companies right here at home would benefit from hiring our Soldiers.”
Joining Hackett and Bell in the ribbon cutting were Brig. Gen. Matthew Baker, 102nd Training Division Commanding General, and Lt. Col. Laura Shiplet of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District. Visiting military and civilian dignitaries received a tour of the facility as well as other sites on post. Ceremony attendees also had a chance to tour the new TASS building.
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