A military training area, training area (Australia, Ireland, and the United Kingdom) or training centre (Canada) is land set aside specifically to enable military forces to train and exercise for combat. Training areas are usually out of bounds to the general public, but some have limited access when not in use. As well as their military function, they often serve as important wildlife refuges. They are distinct from proving grounds which are designed for purposes such as testing weaponry or equipment.
Military training areas are important because they enable troops to train more realistically and in greater numbers over a wide area without unduly inconveniencing the public or putting others at risk. They are particularly important for all arms training where the different elements of armed forces come together to cooperate and coordinate their fire and movement. Training areas often incorporate a variety of terrain types, including forests, heathland, waterbodies and farmland, as well as urban training facilities such as the 'Afghan village' at Thetford on Stanford Training Area. Such training areas are run by the military and are normally out-of-bounds to the public who may sometimes be allowed access during weekends or holidays. [a] Training areas may incorporate shooting ranges or designated areas where live firing is permitted.
Military training areas are often important wildlife refuges and can make a "significant contribution to conservation... if properly managed." This is because they comprise large tracts of countryside with restricted access and are free from development, cultivation or other exploitative activities. They typically divide into areas that are regularly disturbed by vehicle traffic or weapons such as bombs and missiles and areas that are relatively undisturbed. [1]
Military training areas are home to some of our most endangered species of animals and plants "precisely because they are used by the military." In the US, 21% of endangered species live on DoD land which forms only 3% of the country. A Polish study showed that the training was not significantly detrimental to biodiversity. The major factor in this was the lack of human intervention for lengthy periods of time. [2]
In Germany, it has been found that wolves moving into new areas will invariably settle first in military training areas before spreading out. This may be because there is less poaching and the hunting areas tend to be far larger than those on private land, so they are less easy to find. [3]
Former military training areas:
Austria has had important training areas since the 18th century. From 1938 the German Wehrmacht established new training areas, the largest being Döllersheim (now Allentsteig) Training Area in the Waldviertel. [4] Other areas in use today include:
There are four military training areas (MTAs) in the Czech Republic with the total area of 1,296 km2. They are run by "Military Regions" and have been used since 1994 for joint exercises and training between the Czech armed forces and its allies. This was initially carried out as part of Partnership for Peace Programme and subsequently with NATO. In addition, since 2001, the armed forces of Austria, Belgium, France, Hungary, the Netherlands and the US have conducted national exercises on Czech MTAs. [5]
The UK has six regional training areas and twenty two overseas training areas. [7]
4 Canadian Division Support Base Petawawa, commonly referred to as Garrison Petawawa, is located in Petawawa, Ontario. It is operated as an army base by the Canadian Army.
Canadian Forces Base Borden, formerly RCAF Station Camp Borden, is a large Canadian Forces base located in Ontario. The historic birthplace of the Royal Canadian Air Force, CFB Borden is home to the largest training wing in the Canadian Armed Forces. The base is run by Canadian Forces Support Training Group (CFSTG) and reports to the Canadian Defence Academy (CDA) in Kingston.
2nd Canadian Division Support Base Valcartier, formerly known as and commonly referred to as Canadian Forces Base Valcartier, is a Canadian Forces base located in the municipality of Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, 8 nautical miles north northwest of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The 2nd Canadian Division is stationed at the base, comprising the 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group and the 2nd Canadian Division Support Group.
The British Army Training Unit Suffield (BATUS) is a British Army unit located at the vast training area of Canadian Forces Base Suffield near Suffield, Alberta, Canada. BATUS is the British Army's largest armoured training facility, and it can accommodate live-firing and tactical effect simulation (TES) exercises up to battle group level. CFB Suffield is seven times the size of the Salisbury Plain Training Area in England and 19% of the size of Northern Ireland, offering the British Army the ability to conduct large exercises that UK military bases cannot accommodate.
Canadian Forces Base Shilo is an operations and training base of the Canadian Armed Forces, located 35 km (22 mi) east of Brandon, Manitoba and adjacent to Sprucewoods. During the 1990s, Canadian Forces Base Shilo was also designated as an Area Support Unit, which acts as a local base of operations for south-west Manitoba in times of military and civil emergency.
5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown, formerly known as and commonly referred to as CFB Gagetown, is a large Canadian Forces Base covering an area over 1,100 km2 (420 sq mi), located in southwestern New Brunswick. It is the biggest facility in Eastern Canada, and Canada's second-largest facility.
Canadian Forces Base Suffield is the largest army training area in Canada. The CFB is in southeastern Alberta, 3 nautical miles north-northwest of Suffield, 50 km (31 mi) northwest of Medicine Hat and 250 km (160 mi) southeast of Calgary. It is accessible via Highway 884, a public road that bisects the main hub section of the base.
3rd Canadian Division Support Base Detachment Wainwright, commonly referred to as Canadian Forces Base Wainwright or CFB Wainwright, is a Canadian Forces Base in Denwood, Alberta, adjacent to the town of Wainwright.
1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group is a Canadian Forces brigade group that is part of the 3rd Canadian Division of the Canadian Army. Originally headquartered at CFB Calgary, it is currently based in CFB Edmonton in Alberta with two major units at CFB Shilo in Manitoba, and consists of eight Regular Force units.
3rd Canadian Division Support Base Edmonton, formerly known as and commonly referred to as CFB Edmonton is a Canadian Forces base in Sturgeon County adjacent to the City of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada. It is also known as Edmonton Garrison or "Steele Barracks".
4th Canadian Division Training Centre is a Canadian Forces training facility operated by 4th Canadian Division of the Canadian Army.
A service battalion is a unit of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) that provides combat service support to a brigade group and its elements.
Canadian Forces Base Lahr was a military operated commercial airport located in Lahr, Germany. It was operated primarily as a French air force base, and later as a Canadian army base, beginning in the late 1960s. The military base was closed in 1994 and converted to civilian use. It is now known as the Flughafen Lahr.
Hohenfels is a municipality in the district of Neumarkt in the region of Upper Palatinate in Bavaria, Germany. The town is host to the United States Army Garrison Hohenfels, which operates the Joint Multinational Readiness Center for training of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) armed forces.
4 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group was a formation of the Canadian Army, then Mobile Command of the unified Canadian Forces. It was part of the European formation known as Canadian Forces Europe. The formation served as the main forward deployed land element of Canada's armed forces, and was stationed in West Germany from 1957 until it was disbanded in 1993.
The Canadian Air-Sea Transportable Brigade Group, or CAST, was a Canadian Forces battle group dedicated to the rapid reinforcement of Norway in the event of a land war in Europe. The Group was based on a mechanized infantry brigade, supported by two Rapid Reinforcement Fighter Squadrons equipped with Canadair CF-5 fighters and a variety of supporting units. Manpower varied between 4,800 and 5,500 troops depending on how it was counted. CAST formed in 1968 as part of a widespread realignment of Canadian forces in Europe, and disbanded again in 1989 when the Forces were recombined into larger battalion sized group in West Germany.
The Combat Training Centre is responsible for the individual training of Canadian Army soldiers and officers in military occupational classifications that are controlled by the Canadian Army. The centre is headquartered at the 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown, New Brunswick, and maintains schools at CFB Kingston, 8 Wing Trenton and CFB Borden in Ontario. Originally known as the Combat Arms School, it was formed at Camp Borden, Ontario, in 1965, moving to CFB Gagetown in the early 1970's. It is a formation of the Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre, the former Land Force Doctrine and Training System which was renamed as part of the reorganization of the Canadian Army on 18 July 2013.
The following is a hierarchical outline for the Canadian Armed Forces at the end of the Cold War. It is intended to convey the connections and relationships between units and formations.