HERMISTON — Local National Guard units no longer have to drive hundreds of miles for tank drive training. Now they can do it in Hermiston.

The Oregon Army National Guard in February opened a 6-mile tank driver training course at the Raymond F. Rees Training Center in Hermiston, marking a significant upgrade in armor units’ training capabilities in Eastern Oregon.

The new course, which saw its first tank traverse the trail in early February, enables local National Guard units to conduct essential driver training without traveling hundreds of miles to out-of-state facilities. According to the announcement from the Oregon National Guard, the development is a milestone in the transformation of the former Umatilla Chemical Depot into a modern military training facility.

“Having this opportunity here in our hometown, in our home armory, to maneuver our vehicles is a great learning opportunity,” said Sgt. 1st Class Eric Gilliland, readiness noncommissioned officer for Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment in Hermiston. “Before, we were having to go to Gowen (Field in Idaho) in order to do any type of maneuvering, which was logistically kind of a nightmare.”

The course will support training for M1A2 SEP v2 Abrams tanks, allowing crews to conduct day and night operations. The night driving capability enables crews to train with thermal imaging and night vision equipment in a controlled environment.

“We can do night driving, where we use our thermals and (night-vision goggles) without lights,” said 1st Sgt. Karl Baum of Bravo Company. “That’s a huge risk factor. … We have to have a safe place to drive where there is no one else driving because they don’t see us coming.”

The Raymond F. Rees Training Center is home to two tank units, one based in Hermiston and the other in Ontario, operating as part of the 3-116th Cavalry Regiment.

The addition of the tank trail is part of more than $150 million in improvements spent or planned since the Oregon Army National Guard assumed responsibility for the center in 2017, aiming to create what officials describe as “the best training center in the National Guard.”

For tank crews, the new course means more frequent training opportunities and better vehicle maintenance. 

“Part of getting our tanks back and increasing our operational readiness for our equipment is exercising them,” Baum said in the announcement. “Thus, why we need this tank trail.”