Another interesting fact on the tunnel system below West Fort Hood… It is used for training…
The subterranean battlefield: Warfare is going underground, into dark, tight spaces
It is darkness like you’ve never seen. The air you breathe
could kill you in moments. All of your fire support — air, armor, artillery — is useless. The walls and ceiling could collapse. Communications will fail. A wrong turn
leaves you utterly alone.
Going underground, in dark, tight spaces, can trigger feelings of helplessness in
even experienced troops. It is the most primitive and
close combat a fighter may face.
“You think you’ve been in a dark environment?” a former special operations soldier-turned trainer said. “Wait until you get into a deep underground facility and the power’s cut. That is scary.”
Welcome to the subterranean.
It is
happening in Syria now. Iraqi forces faced it in Mosul. Russia, China, North Korea, Iran all boast complex facilities laced with reinforced command and control and the ability to deploy thousands of troops, tanks, missiles and even launch planes from underground runways.
….
At least two years ago, the Army assessed its underground combat capabilities and found gaps.
….
Top leadership has emphasized the need for troops to be ready to fight in megacities and the underground is a feature that cannot be ignored.
….
Though the Army and Marine Corps want troops ready to go underground, not every base has the facilities.
Those include the Tunnel Warfare Center in China Lake, California, Yuma Proving Grounds, Arizona; White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; Fort Story, Virginia;
Fort Hood, Texas; and Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, Indiana, likely the most complex of the list.
The Marine Corps has underground features at its urban training facility at Twentynine Palms, California.
Source:
The subterranean battlefield: Warfare is going underground, into dark, tight spaces