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The Mountain Warfare Training Center (MWTC) is a United States Marine Corps installation located in Pickel Meadows in Mono County, California, at 6,800 feet (2,100 m) above sea level in the Toiyabe National Forest, 21 miles (34 km) northwest of Bridgeport, California. The training center exists to train units in complex compartmented terrain.
| Mountain Warfare Training Center, MWTC | |
|---|---|
| Mono County, northwest of Bridgeport, California | |
MWTC Insignia
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 | |
| Coordinates | 38°21′33″N 119°30′45″W / 38.35917°N 119.51250°W / 38.35917; -119.51250 |
| Type | Military base |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1951 |
| In use | 1951–present |
| Garrison information | |
| Current commander | COL Ronald D Storer |
The Marine Corps' Mountain Warfare Training Center, as a major subordinate element of Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command, and with support from Marine Corps Installations West, conducts unit and individual training courses to prepare USMC, Joint, and Allied Forces for operations in mountainous, high altitude, and cold weather environments in support of the Regional Combatant Commanders. Additionally, MWTC provides support to Marine Corps Combat Development Command (MCCDC); Training and Education Command; Marine Corps Systems Command; and other USMC and Department of Defense (DOD) agencies engaged in the development of war-fighting doctrine and specialized equipment for use in mountain and cold weather operations.[1]
The Mountain Warfare Training Center (MWTC) is one of the Corps' most remote and isolated posts. The center was established in 1951 as the Cold Weather Battalion with a mission of providing cold-weather training for replacement personnel bound for Korea.[2] After the Korean War, in 1963, the school was renamed the "Mountain Warfare Training Center" due to its expanded role. During the 1980s, the Training Center's focus was on training and preparing Marines and operational units for deployments on NATO's Northern flank, particularly Norway.[3] Recently, with the Global War on Terrorism, the MWTC provided pre-deployment training in support of Operation Enduring Freedom—the war in Afghanistan.[1]
MWTC is located in Pickel Meadows of the Sierra Nevada mountains south of Lake Tahoe on 46,000 acres (190 km2) of mountainous terrain with elevations from 6,700 ft (2,000 m) – 11,000 ft. Other areas utilized by MWTC: Sweetwater Airstrip 6,835 ft (2,083 m), Mount Shasta 14,179 ft (4,322 m), the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada (U.S.) and Hawthorne Army Depot for live fire exercises. 38°21′24″N 119°30′59″W / 38.35667°N 119.51639°W / 38.35667; -119.51639[1][4]
Most courses require a first class Physical Fitness Test, typically conducted on Training Day 1.
