Park Military Reservation is home to the Arizona Military Museum. The Buckeye Training
Site is approximately 35 miles west of downtown Phoenix, just north of Interstate 10. It
has several classrooms and administrative buildings and provides maneuver training.
National Guard
Readiness Centers are
found throughout the
U.S., both on military
installations and
integrated into the
fabric of local
communities. They
serve to ensure the
combat readiness of
National Guard
personnel and act as
liaisons between the
National Guard and the
individual states and
local communities on
National Guard
operational activities.
Readiness Centers
provide an array of
important functions and
amenities for National
Guard Soldiers and
Airmen, such as
classrooms, simulation
and training rooms,
assembly halls,
conference rooms,
physical fitness areas,
administrative space,
maintenance facilities,
kitchens, and recruiting
offices.
3-6
In addition to the larger training and administrative sites that have already been
discussed, there are 32 Readiness Centers in 20 different communities throughout
Arizona. Some of these are located at larger AZNG installations, and some are located in
independent facilities within local communities. The Casa Grande Training Site and
AZARNG Readiness Centers in Casa Grande and in Coolidge are all located in Pinal
County, but are not within the scope of this JLUS.
3.5
AZARNG Personnel and Economic Benefit
The AZARNG accounts for more than 3,350 direct, indirect, and induced jobs and has an
economic impact of over $865 million dollars, annually. As of May 2017, the AZARNG
consists of six major commands and has an assigned end‐strength of approximately
5,300 Soldiers who are trained and prepared for response to state and national
emergencies. It is not only important to support and protect AZARNG sites and training
capabilities because of the economic benefit they provide, but also to preserve their
ability to support local and regional communities during times of domestic emergency
and support the United States during national emergencies, wartime deployments,
humanitarian efforts, and other events.
3.6
Florence Military Reservation
Florence Military Reservation (FMR) is adjacent to the Town of Florence, part way
between Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona’s two largest metropolitan areas. It provides a
centralized training and mobilization staging area. The original site was established in
1912 by presidential Executive Order that withdrew 5,655 acres of land from public
domain to be used as a rifle range for military training. The site, originally called Camp
Florence, was improved between 1942 and 1943, in which buildings were constructed.
At the time, it served as the largest prisoner of war compound in the U.S., temporarily
housing thousands of prisoners during World War II. By 1945, there were more than
13,000 prisoners of war at Camp Florence. The site also included a hospital and barracks
for enlisted men, while officers were stationed at other facilities around the country. The
site was designated as surplus by the Federal Government in 1946 and was transferred to
the State of Arizona in 1948. A portion of the original FMR land on the western side of
State 79 was sold in 1954 and was developed as a mobile home and recreational vehicle
community. Approximately 60 acres of land were transferred to the State of Arizona in
1971 for use by the AZARNG. In 1990, the AZARNG entered into a lease agreement with
the Arizona State Land Department for an additional 17,836 acres to use for weapons
firing buffers and bivouac. An additional lease was granted by the Bureau of Land
Management in 1992 to serve as a buffer for the weapons impact area.
Arizona Army National Guard Profile