Joint Readiness Training Center
Building on the
success of the National Training Center which began training armored and mechanized forces in 1981, the Army also recognized that light infantry forces needed similar unit training ... and the Joint Readiness Training Center was born. JRTC training began in 1987 on a test basis at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. The center's headquarters was then located at Little Rock Air Force Base.
The JRTC now makes its permanent home at Fort Polk as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure recommendations approved by
Congress in 1991. At a redesignation ceremony March 12, 1993, Fort Polk made the official transition from the home of an Infantry division to the home of a combat training center. The official opening of the JRTC was August 20, 1993. The first training rotation took place at Fort Polk in September 1993.
JRTC's heavy
integration of Air Force and other military services, as well as host-nation and civilian personnel, makes its training uniquely realistic. As in a real world situation, light forces depend on the Air Force for airlift, close-air support and resupply. Air Force units have been involved in JRTC exercises to date. Units from the Navy and Marine Corps continue to increase their level of involvement, as have military units from foreign countries.
The JRTC's emphasis on joint-service
teamwork becomes even more crucial as the United States reduces the size of its military force.
The combined-arms nature of most contingency missions has drawn heavy armored units into JRTC training. Contingency and special operations soldiers -- including paratroopers, air assault soldiers, Special Forces and Rangers -- are among the first called in a military crisis. They must deploy on short notice and be prepared to fight upon arrival. In most situations, however, they can expect to operate with heavy armored units equipped with tanks and armored personnel carriers. During JRTC training, heavy and light units now team up for a true-to-life training experience. Tomorrow's battlefield will feature highly lethal and
mobile weapons systems, and violent combat will determine the victor -- sometimes in a matter of days. JRTC's training strategy provides the key to victory on any future battlefield; leaders with warrior skills and mental agility, and forces trained and ready to win that first battle.
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