Characterizing Extreme Environments for Army Testing
Abstract
Army Regulation (AR) 70-38 publishes standards for temperature and humidity in different environments, but there are other important environmental features such as general climate, terrain character, and biological diversity, that are also important for successful army materiel testing and training. An initial tropical test site study was necessitated by the closure at the end of 1999 of all U.S. Army tropical testing and training facilities, which had been located in the Republic of Panama. In the process of searching for a replacement for the lost tropical testing facilities, the Army and its natural environment testing activity, Yuma Proving Ground (YPG), developed a better scientific understanding of how geographic analysis could enhance the Army's ability to test and train in a natural environmental setting. A list of 14 criteria was developed that characterizes any site as to its ability to support all testing missions. This list was initially employed to screen Hawaii and Puerto Rico for areas that could support components of the tropical testing mission. A similar approach was taken in analyzing current Army desert testing and training environments in a study that undertook detailed site characterizations of Yuma Proving Ground and the National Training Center (NTC) at Ft. Irwin.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA432337
Entities
People
- Daniel A. Gilewitch
- Eugene J. Palka
- Russell S. Harmon
- W. C. King
Organizations
- Army Research Office