Banks Announces Camp Atterbury and Muscatatuck Designated Premier Test Ranges

Acting Secretary of the Army, Hon. Adam Telle, made the announcement at Banks' 5^th Annual Northeast Indiana Defense Summit

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Today, at Senator Jim Banks' (R-Ind.) 5th Annual Northeast Indiana Defense Summit, Acting Secretary of the Army Adam Telle announced that Camp Atterbury and the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center will be designated Premier Test Ranges under the Army's Permissive Test Range Expansion Initiative.

The designation will expand the Army's access to specialized environments for testing unmanned systems, counter-drone technologies, long-range fires, low-cost interceptors, and other defense capabilities. Muscatatuck's dense urban training center and Camp Atterbury's maneuver space, ranges, aviation assets, and restricted airspace give the Army a ready testing ecosystem.

Watch the announcement here.

Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.): "Our warfighters need the best technology, tested in the conditions they will face on the battlefield. Camp Atterbury and Muscatatuck give the Army the ranges, airspace, and urban training environment to do that. This designation will strengthen our military and put Indiana at the forefront of preparing for the threat ahead."

Adam R. Telle, Acting Secretary of the Army: "Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary of War Hegseth, the Army is throwing open our doors to American innovators and tearing down bureaucratic red tape. We are accelerating our relationship with American ingenuity, acquiring cutting-edge capabilities and integrating autonomous technologies to ensure the U.S. Army remains the most lethal and dominant land force in human history. This expansion reflects the Army's commitment to warfighting procurement at the speed of business, and I am deeply grateful to Senator Banks, Senator Young, and the Indiana delegation for making this possible. By marrying Indiana's premier test range capabilities with ATEC's white-glove concierge service, we are dramatically reducing timelines for commercial disruptors to secure access to test range spaces not readily available in the commercial sector, and deliver Soldier-ready products faster. This is how we equip our warfighters with every competitive advantage they need to remain the most lethal and capable fighting force the world has ever seen. When American Soldiers step onto any piece of ground, they own it."

Maj. Gen. Larry Muennich, Adjutant General of the Indiana National Guard: "Indiana is leading the way in defense innovation, and this designation reinforces our state's position as a premier designation for modern military testing and evaluation. I want to thank Senator Jim Banks for his leadership and advocacy, along with the Department of the Army, for recognizing the capabilities Camp Atterbury and Muscatatuck bring to our nation's defense. These facilities offer the infrastructure, expertise, and realistic testing environments needed to advance new technologies and strengthen our military's edge."

Maj. Gen. Pat Gaydon, ATEC Commanding General: "Expanding this initiative to Indiana is a win-win for national security and defense innovation." We are providing the physical space and the robust, restricted airspace that commercial developers need to mature their systems. Our ATEC concierge team is fully integrated with the Indiana National Guard to ensure that private industry has a seamless, collaborative pipeline to build, test and deliver resilient technologies to our warfighters."

Gen. Christopher LaNeve, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army: "Camp Atterbury and Muscatatuck give commercial developers the ranges and airspace they need to test what actually works. The Army's job is to get those systems into formations quickly. These ranges cut the time between a commercial system and a Soldier who can use it."

Background:

Sen. Banks urged the Army to designate Camp Atterbury and Muscatatuck as Premier Test Ranges in a letter to Acting Secretary Adam Telle on September 30 and joined by nine members of Indiana's delegation. The letter highlighted the facilities ability to connect private-sector innovation with realistic operational environments and noted Camp Atterbury has supported testing of LUCAS drones later deployed by U.S. Central Command.