Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018 | 2 a.m.
Echoing the Air Force’s recent request for an additional 300,000 acres in Southern Nevada, the U.S. Navy is hoping to acquire some 684,000 acres of public and private land in Northern Nevada. The Naval Air Station in Fallon (about 65 miles east of Reno), offers tactics and weapons courses, Navy SEALs ground training, Marine special-ops training and more.
According to Capt. David Halloran, commander of the Naval Air Station Fallon, modernization and expansion is essential to accommodate new technology. Newer airplanes, such as the F/A-18 and F-35, fly at higher altitudes and thus need larger impact areas. “We have currently reached the constraints of Fallon’s range training complex,” he said in an informational video available online.
Environmental groups, such as Friends of Nevada Wilderness, Basin and Range Watch and Center for Biological Diversity, oppose the expansion.
Share your thoughts through January 15 as part of a public review and comment period at FRTCModernization.com. The Navy is also holding seven public meetings from December 10-13, but none are in Southern Nevada.
