U.S. Representative Blake Moore highlighted the House passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2023, a move central to maintaining national security and supporting the military installations located throughout Utah. This legislative development follows ongoing efforts to protect the state's military training capabilities and economic interests, which are bolstered by significant federal defense investments.
Economic Impact of Utah Military Presence
The legislative focus on defense funding aligns with the vital role military installations play in the Utah economy. According to the Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs, these installations contribute $19 billion to Utah's gross domestic product. The state remains committed to partnering with these facilities to ensure mission accomplishment and to develop innovative solutions for workforce development, transportation networks, energy, and base support functions.
Hill Air Force Base Operations
Military installations in Utah serve a wide variety of functions, including warfighting, intelligence, training, maintenance, engineering, development, testing, and logistics. Among the most prominent is Hill Air Force Base in northern Utah. As an Air Force Materiel Command base, Hill is home to the 75th Air Base Wing, the Ogden Air Logistics Complex (OO-ALC), and the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings. The base provides critical warfighting support for worldwide combatant commanders and manages engineering and logistics for several aircraft, including the F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-22 Raptor, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, A-10 Thunderbolt II, and the C-130 Hercules.
Testing and Logistics Capabilities
Other key installations include the U.S. Army Tooele Army Depot, which supports global, multi-service Central Ammunition Management operations and provides specialized equipment to America's joint fighting forces. Additionally, the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground, located approximately 85 miles southwest of Salt Lake City in the Great Salt Lake Desert, serves as a testing center for chemical and biological defense, meteorology, smoke, and munitions. Since 2009, Dugway has also hosted the Army's Unmanned Aerial Systems Rapid Integration and Acceptance Center (RIAC) to test high-end unmanned systems.
Training Range Significance
The Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR) provides one of the largest overland safety footprints in the Department of Defense for aircrew training and weapons testing. Located in northwestern Utah and eastern Nevada, the UTTR contains the largest overland contiguous block of supersonic authorized restricted airspace in the continental United States. The 388th Range Squadron operates the range, providing infrastructure, equipment, and safety services for Air Force operational test and training programs.
National Guard and Air National Guard
The Utah Army National Guard maintains a significant presence at Camp Williams, a 28,000-acre training site located 26 miles south of Salt Lake City. The site includes artillery firing points, maneuver areas, and small arms ranges, and it has a billeting capacity for 2,800 troops. Additionally, the Roland R. Wright Air National Guard Base, located near the Salt Lake International Airport, is home to the 151st Wing. This unit operates the KC-135R Stratotanker for air refueling, aeromedical evacuation, and cargo missions.
Protecting Military Lands
To protect these training facilities from encroachment by urban development, Utah has implemented the Utah Military Lands Compatibility Program. This initiative follows the enactment of HB 265, which has been effective since May 3, 2023. The program aims to ensure compatible land use around eight key military installations through a three-step process involving compatible use plans and notifications to the Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs (UDVMA).
Sentinel Landscape Collaboration
The collaborative effort to balance ecological restoration and national defense is further exemplified by the Great Salt Lake Sentinel Landscape. This 2.7 million-acre area in northern Utah includes the Great Salt Lake and four military installations: Hill Air Force Base, Camp Williams, Tooele Army Depot, and the Air Force Little Mountain Test Facility. The landscape project seeks to protect wildlife, air quality, and military training activities while addressing challenges like water scarcity.
