MEDIA ADVISORY- Oregon National Guard To Break Ground On $12 Million Machine Gun Range In Boardman - 09/08/26

WHO: Brig. Gen. Alan Gronewold, The Adjutant General, Oregon, along with representatives from the U.S. Navy, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, the National Guard Bureau, and the Oregon Military Department.

WHAT: A groundbreaking ceremony for the Multi-Purpose Machine Gun (MPMG) Range, a 10-lane, $12 million live-fire training facility that will become the first and only Army Standard crew-served weapons range in Oregon.

WHEN: Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at 11:00 a.m.

WHERE: Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility, Boardman, Oregon

STAGING: Media should report to the Unmanned Aerial System Operating Facility (UASOF), Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility, Boardman, Oregon, where attendees will stage before moving to the ceremony site.

VISUALS: Ceremonial groundbreaking with shovels; range site overlooking the future 10-lane facility; interviews available with Oregon Military Department and Navy leadership on the range's mission and history.

BACKGROUND: The MPMG Range has been in development for more than two decades, beginning with a 2004 license agreement between the Departments of the Army, Navy, and the Oregon Military Department. Once complete, the range will allow Oregon Soldiers to qualify on crew-served weapons such as the M240, M2, and MK19 in-state, rather than traveling to facilities in Washington or Idaho, and will position Rees Training Center to support next-generation weapons qualification in the years ahead.

Media wishing to attend should RSVP to the contact listed above by September 8, 2026 for credentialing and site access instructions.