Guard vying for Special Forces unit; training center

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Guard vying for Special Forces unit; training center
By MARTIN J. KIDSTON - IR Staff Writer

An amendment to a defense bill passed by the U.S Senate recently could result in the establishment of a Special Forces company within the Montana National Guard.

The amendment could also see Fort Harrison designated as a mountain training center used by Special Forces before deploying to Central Asia.

Sen. Conrad Burns added the amendment to the defense authorization bill, which passed the senate unanimously last week.

Among other things, the amendment directs the Department of Defense to prepare two reports that consider basing a contingent of Special Forces at Fort Harrison and using the base as a high-altitude training center.

"We know that the National Guard and Reserve forces can be better utilized, and I believe Special Forces can be trained and stationed at Fort Harrison," Burns said last week. "This amendment will kick-start the process of getting Special Forces into the Montana National Guard."

Brian O'Leary, a military legislative assistant in Washington, D.C., said the DOD recently completed a military review that recommends increasing the number of Special Forces units as part of an effort to realign the nation's military.

As part of that realignment, Burns' amendment directs the DOD to consider the Guard and Reserves when adding Special Forces to the nation's military, and using Fort Harrison as a high-altitude, mountain training center.

"The amendment ties the Special Forces to the training they're already doing there in Montana," O'Leary said. "It's a perfect setting for training at higher altitudes - better than what you'll get in the Southern pine forests around Fort Bragg in North Carolina."

Last week, nearly 350 Special Forces soldiers carried out training at and around Fort Harrison. The rugged and dry terrain resembles that found in Afghanistan and Central Asia, making it appealing for modern military exercises, O'Leary said.

To facilitate any future training at Fort Harrison, a small detachment of Special Forces instructors would be among the first assigned to the base on a permanent basis. Down the road, O'Leary said, a full company of about 150 soldiers could follow, coming from either an active duty force or a new National Guard unit.

"Special Forces love to come to Fort Harrison to train, and we need a permanent Special Forces detachment to facilitate that training," Burns said. "Montana is one of the few states without National Guard Special Forces units."

Such an outfit wouldn't be the first based at Montana's largest Army base. The First Special Service Force - a conglomerate of American and Canadian soldiers - trained at Fort Harrison during World War II, leading to the formation of the Green Berets in 1953.

Gen. Randy Mosley, Adjutant General of the Montana National Guard, said the state lost its Special Forces in the 1980s during that era's military restructuring. Mosley said he's working to reestablish the unit under the umbrella of the Montana Guard while establishing Fort Harrison as a Special Forces center.

"This amendment helps us achieve those two goals," Mosley said. "I've been working with Burns' office on how we can get Special Forces back in Montana, and I've been pressing the National Guard Bureau on the issue. I'm cautiously optimistic."

Matt MacKowiak, spokesman for Burns, said the first step is getting a detachment of instructors stationed at the base, followed by a Special Forces company.

"We don't see any problems getting this amendment through the House," said MacKowiak. "It really lays the groundwork for the future of Special Forces in Montana."