The Michigan National Guard plans to expand Camp Grayling to over twice its current size.
Camp Grayling is currently the largest National Guard training site in the country. Col. Scott Meyers says expanding the territory will allow for safely distanced multi-domain training in Land, Air, Sea, Cyber and Space warfare.
“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.”
Meyers says Camp Grayling contains the largest restricted special use airspace east of the Mississippi River. Access to Lake Huron allows for naval training, and the remoteness of northern Michigan allows for cyber and space training.
Some residents have expressed concern that the new expansion will negatively impact wildlife and recreation.
“We look at this as very low impact for the environment,” Meyers said. “The agreements we would have in place with the DNR would mean that we would drive on existing roads and existing trails.”
The land included in the expansion will be used for low impact training for modern warfare, such as concealment from space assets. It will still be available to the public when not in use.
There is no timeline for the proposal, but Meyers says he hopes to see action by the end of the year.
