Camp Grayling, which spans more than 148,000 acres, is the largest National Guard training site in the country. Michigan National Guard plans to more than double the size of the Northern Michigan camp.
Michigan National GuardGRAYLING — Michigan National Guard plans to more than double the size of its Northern Michigan base Camp Grayling.
The camp, which spans more than 148,000 acres, is the largest National Guard training site in the country.
Col. Scott Meyers says expanding the military complex will allow for safely distanced multi-domain training in land, air, sea, cyber and space warfare.
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“It’ll allow us to really put Northern Michigan on a map,” Meyers said. “I don't see anywhere else in the United States that has the ability to simultaneously train in all those domains of warfare in a four season environment.”
Michigan National Guard Garrison Commander Col. Scott Meyers.
Michigan National GuardCamp Grayling contains the largest restricted special use airspace East of the Mississippi River, Meyers said. Close access to Lake Huron allows for naval training, and the remoteness of Northern Michigan allows for cyber and space training.
Meyers said technologies used in the wars of Afghanistan and Iraq showed the necessity for multi-domain training of modern warfare. The expansion will help them to train under these new technologies.
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Some residents have expressed concern that expanding military presence in Camp Grayling will hinder recreation in the area. Meyers said that they already have plenty of impact areas for artillery capabilities; what they are missing is distance away from those loud activities to be able to integrate more low-impact training, such as concealment from space assets.
British soldiers with the 4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment (4 PARA), perform platoon attacks during Northern Strike Exercise (NS21) at the Camp Grayling Maneuver Training Center, Grayling, Michigan, Aug. 8, 2021. The 4 PARAs are at NS21 to qualify at high readiness for missions and will be the only British reserve unit with that qualification.
Staff Sgt. Jacob Cessna/Michigan National Guard“We look at this as very low-impact for the environment,” Meyers said. “If the units are training and if they’re training well, they shouldn't be seen.”
He said under agreements with the Department of Natural Resources, they would drive on existing roads and trails.
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For safety reasons, Meyers said they will put out advisories when land is being used for low-impact training, but it will still be available to the public. Any high-risk areas for high-impact training are already fenced off.
There is no timeline for the proposal. Meyers said he hopes to see action by the end of the year after coming to an agreement with the DNR.
