11/21/2008 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Air Force officials signed a record of decision Nov. 20 that begins the process for the Army's 7th Special Forces Group to beddown at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The group will be located west of Duke Field and the range will be on the east and west side.
"This was truly a joint effort on the part of the Air Force and the Army to agree on the best possible location for this special forces group," said Kathy Ferguson, deputy assistant secretary for installations.
The cantonment area for the 7th SFG includes operations and maintenance facilities, housing, dining facilities, and munitions storage and loading facilities.
Accommodations for their training requirements include range space and airspace and scheduling for associated training missions.
The cantonment area will include facilities for three SF battalions, a motorized SF battalion, a group support battalion, and the group headquarters. Approximately 5.1 million square feet of buildings and hard surfaces will be constructed from the year 2009 through 2011.
Most of the training will require the use of 13 ranges specifically designed for specific weapons training.
Either these ranges would need to be constructed or existing test areas would need to be reconfigured to provide the necessary facilities/assets, officials said. The training ranges are mandated by Army authorization, training and doctrinal documents for conventional army and special operations forces.
