Cost of small arms training range to be included in federal budget

For the past few years, Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen has lobbied for the chance to build a small arms training range at the Hawthorne Army Depot, and recently she announced that the efforts have resulted in $18 million to be included in the President’s FY 2025 budget request to help bring this to fruition.

Nevada doesn’t currently have a small arms training range, therefore Nevada’s Army National Guard and Reserve servicemembers must travel out-of-state to get their annual weapons certifications. The cost of sending soldiers out of Nevada averages around $500,000 per year, per military unit.

In 2023, during a US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Senator Rosen secured a commitment from then-Army Chief of Staff nominee General Randy George to construct the small arms qualification range in Hawthorne by 2025.

The conversation went as follows:

“Currently, Nevada’s Guard and Reserve soldiers are traveling to surrounding states in order to satisfy their annual weapons qualification. It’s an average cost of $500,000 – half a million dollars – per year, per unit. I’m appreciative of the Army’s commitment to correct this, which spurred the effort underway to build a permanent range at Hawthorne Army Depot by FY 2025…General George, if confirmed, can I have your commitment that a small arms qualification range is built in FY 25 so that Nevada’s soldiers can meet their annual requirements at greater convenience and lower cost to the taxpayer?” Rosen asked General George.

“Yes, Senator,” he responded.

When news of the $18 million Hawthorne small arms qualifications range would be going into the President’s next budget, Senator Rosen said, “The lack of a small arms training range in Nevada forces our Army National Guard and Reserve soldiers to travel out-of-state to meet required annual weapons qualifications, costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

“I’m proud to have secured Nevada’s first certified small arms range in the President’s budget request. This will save taxpayers’ dollars and make it easier for Nevada Army National Guard and Reserve soldiers to do their required training in our state.”

The size of the interim small arms range is being discussed with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Army, but it will likely have four lanes of training.

Also, as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (passed in June of 2023), Senator Rosen helped secure a 5.2 percent pay raise for servicemembers as well as additional health and family support services for those who have been stationed at remote installations like Naval Air Station Fallon.