Fort Custer Training Center

Fort Custer Training Center
Name	Fort Custer Training Center
Location	Augusta Township, Battle Creek, Michigan
Type	National Guard training center
Built	1917
Used	1917–present
Controlledby	Michigan National Guard

Fort Custer Training Center

Fort Custer Training Center is a Michigan National Guard installation near Battle Creek, Michigan and Kalamazoo, Michigan established during World War I to support mobilization and later expanded during World War II as a training and induction center; it continues to host state and federal military units, reserve components, and joint training with allied forces while providing recreational and conservation lands used by regional agencies and nonprofit organizations.

History

Fort Custer Training Center was created in 1917 in response to mobilization requirements for World War I following federal activation under the Selective Service Act of 1917 and wartime expansion policies implemented by the United States Army and War Department (United States). The post was named for General George Armstrong Custer and served as an induction and training base during World War I, later deactivated and reactivated for World War II when the Department of War (United States) reestablished large training grounds modeled after installations like Camp Shelby and Fort Benning. During the interwar and postwar eras the installation hosted National Guard units from Michigan National Guard, Illinois National Guard, and reserve formations associated with the United States Army Reserve and United States Army National Guard while adapting to Cold War requirements under the Department of Defense realignments and Base Realignment and Closure-era reviews. The center’s history intersects with regional infrastructure projects such as the Pittsburgh Coal Company influences on land acquisition, state legislative oversight by the Michigan Legislature, and conservation initiatives promoted by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Facilities and Layout

The training center comprises barracks, motor pools, maintenance shops, ranges, and administrative buildings arranged around a parade ground with coordinates proximate to Interstate 94, M-96 (Michigan highway), and local roads connecting to Battle Creek (Amtrak station). Ranges include small arms ranges, a mortar course, and vehicle maneuver areas similar to those at Fort Drum and Joint Base Lewis–McChord, while cantonment areas contain facilities for logistics units modeled after designs from the Quartermaster Corps (United States Army). Support infrastructure includes the Regional Training Institute classrooms, dining facilities influenced by Army and Air Force Exchange Service standards, and medical aid stations comparable to installations at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center for casualty evacuation drills. The landscape includes managed grasslands, oak savanna restoration tracts, and reservoirs that coordinate with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and local watershed partnerships like the Kalamazoo River Authority.

Military Units and Training Activities

Fort Custer Training Center hosts National Guard units including elements associated with the 63rd Troop Command (Michigan), aviation detachments, and support brigades that train in small unit tactics, convoy operations, and communications interoperability exercises tied to standards from the United States Northern Command, United States Indo-Pacific Command, and federal mobilization under Title 10 and Title 32 authorities. Training activities have included Urban Operations scenarios mirroring doctrine from the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, field artillery live-fire sequences comparable to events at Fort Sill, engineer route-clearance missions inspired by lessons from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, and Joint Enabling Training events that incorporate the National Guard Bureau and state emergency response protocols used in collaborations with FEMA and Department of Homeland Security (United States). Reserve and active-duty units from neighboring states and allied partner contingents have conducted combined arms rehearsals and mobilization validation exercises consistent with standards promulgated by the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Civilian Uses and Community Impact

Beyond military activities the center leases land for public recreation, supports youth programs run by organizations such as the Boy Scouts of America and 4-H (United States), and hosts regional events drawing visitors from Calhoun County, Michigan, Kalamazoo County, Michigan, and nearby municipalities like Battle Creek, Michigan and Kalamazoo, Michigan. Economic impacts include contracting with local businesses, partnerships with educational institutions such as Kellogg Community College and Western Michigan University for workforce development and veterans’ services, and collaboration with municipal emergency managers from Calhoun County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management during state deployments for natural disaster response following events similar to Hurricane Katrina-era National Guard missions. The center’s public shooting ranges, trails, and campgrounds are managed in coordination with nonprofit conservancies like the Kellogg Biological Station and community organizations hosting heritage events and ceremonies with participation from veterans’ groups such as the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Environmental and Conservation Issues

The installation encompasses diverse habitats historically used for training that prompted environmental assessments under the National Environmental Policy Act and cleanup actions overseen by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. Remediation efforts have addressed contamination concerns related to legacy ranges, storage sites, and ordnance disposal in coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Formerly Used Defense Sites program and state conservation projects to restore oak savanna and prairie ecosystems working with the Nature Conservancy and local land trusts. Wildlife management programs at the center coordinate with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state agencies to protect migratory bird habitat and threatened species listed under the Endangered Species Act while balancing training requirements through integrated natural resource management plans shaped by the Army Environmental Command.

Notable Events and Incidents

Notable episodes at the training center include major World War II mobilization activities, Cold War-era training surges, and recent large-scale exercises that drew multi-state National Guard participation and oversight from the National Guard Bureau and the Department of Defense. Incidents have included environmental remediation investigations and periodic safety reviews following live-fire training accidents, coordination with federal inquiries led by the Environmental Protection Agency and state agencies, and community response efforts during emergency activation for state disasters that mirrored deployments to support flood and tornado recovery operations under the Stafford Act. The site has also hosted high-profile commemorations involving veteran leaders and officials from the Michigan Governor's Office, members of Congress from Michigan's 6th congressional district, and delegations from allied partner militaries during joint training visits.

Category:Installations of the United States Army National Guard Category:Military installations in Michigan