U.S. Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Mike Gilday traveled to Fallon, Nevada, on Tuesday, where he met with tribal and local government leaders and visited Naval Air Station (NAS) Fallon.
Gilday met separately with local government and tribal leaders from the Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe, Walker River Paiute Tribe, and Yomba Shoshone Tribe and discussed modernization and expansion efforts for the Fallon Range Training Complex (FRTC). He expressed the Navy’s commitment toward working together with Department of the Interior (DOI), State of Nevada, Counties, and Nevada Tribes.
“We are committed to listening and working with all stakeholders — this is a critical modernization for our Navy and our nation,” said Gilday. “The Navy continues to work closely with our tribal partners in Northern Nevada to address concerns associated with the FRTC modernization.”
Gilday highlighted the importance of tactical aviation readiness and improved ground forces training.
“During this time of strategic competition, we need to give aviators and SEALs realistic training to ensure we are ready to fight and win when called upon,” said Gilday. “We can accomplish this while honoring culture and traditions, while also protecting the environment and the health and safety of the community.”
Prior to the meetings with tribal and local government leaders, CNO and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Russell Smith visited NAS Fallon together, where they met with Sailors, visited the base and observed training.
There they saw first-hand how NAS Fallon increases Fleet and Sailor readiness. They toured Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC) where Gilday visited with Sailors and received updates about F/A-18C/D Hornets, F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, E/A-18G Growlers, F-16 Fighting Falcons, and MH-60S Seahawk helicopter squadrons.
NAWDC provides service to aircrews, squadrons, and air wings throughout the Navy through flight training, academic instructional classes, and direct operational and intelligence support. The command consists of more than 120 officers, 140 enlisted, and 50 contract personnel.
The modernization of the FRTC has been a locus of conflict over the past four years as the Navy has gone through the public processes required for its proposal to expand its footprint at NAS Fallon from 232,000 acres to just over 600,000 acres. Local government officials from Fallon and Churchill County continue pushing for relief and are asking for a lands bill that would provide mitigation for economic development, the State of Nevada and several environmental groups have also gone on record not supporting the expansion.
The Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe recently traveled to Washington D.C. where they met with the Biden administration, the Department of Interior, the U.S. Secretary of the Navy, and the Nevada Congressional Delegation to propose a 3-million-acre National Monument that would protect ancestral lands that surround the Navy training grounds.
“This is a bit unprecedented,” said Leanna Hale, “we are pressing on and have been talking to the people who work firsthand who have told us they’re glad we’re coming forward with a solution.” She said for a long time the Fallon Tribe has said no to the Navy’s expansion plans, “but if we don’t find a solution, we may just end up with a big fat zero.”
The Tribe said they are working off Biden’s 30X30 plan that would bring Tribes to focus on the indigenous lands and having the Tribes being co-stewards of the lands. “We want to protect lands, our cultural sites, our spiritual sites, our burial grounds,” said Hale. “Our Origin Site at Fox Peak is where anthropologists say our people have been in this area for over 10 thousand years, it is our identity.”
NAS Fallon hosts surface Warfare Tactics Instructors (WTI) who have a significant role in fleet integration between Carrier Air Wings and Carrier Strike Groups. Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center, co-owns the Integrated Air Defense Course (IADC), which is presented in conjunction with NAWDC.
NAS Fallon and the FRTC is the nation’s premier training environment comprised of airspace and challenging ranges. For more than 70 years, Fallon has enabled aviators to learn critical skills and tactics that give us an advantage.
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