Fort Lewis, Wash. – 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, based at Fort Lewis, Wash., is conducting a military exercise involving units from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, from Fort Campbell, Ky., and Air Force Special Operations Command from Hurlburt Field, Fla. The
military exercise will be conducted from Oct. 26 to 29 at Fort Lewis, Yakima Training Center, Snoqualmie National Forest and surrounding communities. Soldiers will use training ammunition and other training devices to make the military exercise as realistic as possible. To conduct this military exercise, a number of different rotary wing and fixed wing aircraft are used.
There will be periods of increased air traffic to include low-flying aircraft, both helicopters and airplanes, during hours of darkness. Increased air traffic and noise may be associated with a large airborne operation involving the Rangers.
This is routine training conducted periodically to maintain a high level of readiness for the military personnel involved. Safety surveys and risk assessments are thoroughly prepared before and during military exercises and training activities. We are extremely sensitive to the impact such training has on local citizens and we intend to train safely and courteously. Every measure to reduce the amount of noise associated with the training will be taken. We appreciate the support of the citizens and residents in the surrounding areas during this training.
The 75th Ranger Regiment is the U.S. Army’s premier raid force. Rangers must be ready to deploy worldwide on a moment’s notice. Therefore, tough, realistic training conducted regularly gives the Rangers a decisive edge for real-world missions. Training such as this is the best method to test their readiness capabilities.
Members of the community can report concerns about training-related activity by calling the Fort Lewis Community Relations hotline, at 253-967-0852.
For more information about the exercise, contact the 75th Ranger Regiment Public Affairs Office at (706) 604-5114, or the Fort Lewis
Public Affairs Office at (253)967-0147 or 0152 (after hours, call the Fort Lewis Operations Center at 967-0015 and ask for the PAO on-call).