GREAT PLAINS JOINT TRAINING CENTER
Fact Sheet
The Great Plains Joint Training Center (GPJTC) is located in Salina, combining assets of both the Kansas Air and Army National Guard under one umbrella to facilitate military and civilian joint operations training and combined Air-Land combat maneuvers and exercises. The Army and Air structure orchestrated in this center include the Smoky Hill Range Complex, the Kansas Regional Training Institute (KSRTI), and a new Homeland Security Public Safety training facility called "Crisis City."
The Smoky Hill Range complex provides approximately 36 thousand acres for combined arms training, affording both Active and Reserve component military organizations the opportunity to train jointly in a realistic environment that combines ground and air assets in operational training in a way that's possible at only a few sites throughout the United States. The fact that the Smoky Hill range provides airspace within an FAA sanctioned Military Operational Area permits both active and reserve units to operate both piloted and unmanned aircraft in training scenarios at the GPJTC.
The development of "Crisis City" at the complex is in response to initiatives by Governor Kathleen Sebelius and the Adjutant General of Kansas, Maj Gen Tod Bunting in April 2007 to satisfy the need for Regional Training Centers (RTCs) to enhance the state's capabilities to defend against terrorism and respond to disasters and emergencies. Crisis City is the first of these sites and will form the hub for an additional four RTCs that will be strategically located to ensure state and local first responders, the National Guard and public safety organizations have state-of-the art training facilities. The focus of Crisis City will be public safety training and exercises directed toward Homeland Security and first response requirements. Crisis City will be a multi-use Homeland Security training facility for law enforcement, search and rescue, medical response teams, public and private industry safety professionals and military operations in support of civil authorities.
In summary, the GPJTC affords both military and civilian organizations an
unprecedented opportunity to function jointly using real world technology to
train and respond to missions both here and abroad. It is the backbone of the
Kansas Army National Guard's ability to conduct pre-mobilization training for
its soldiers here at home prior to deployment over seas. This keeps Kansans
in the community during this extensive training rather than away from friends
and family at military installations outside our state. It is an essential part
of the training certification that is now a National Guard responsibility resting
with The Adjutant General of Kansas, a transformation initiative of the Department
of Defense. Crisis City and the future Training Centers will provide
disciplined and validated training needed to satisfy the needs of Kansas Public
Safety professionals.