Did you know the 56th Range Management Office hosts tours on the Barry M. Goldwater Range East? If you are interesting in setting up a tour send an email to: 56RMO.Public.Affairs@us.af.mil. 

More about tours: The following procedures have been established to ensure compliance with BMGR East Range Safety and Range Procedures. It is critical that these procedures are followed. Failure to do so will restrict access to the BMGR East ranges and could cause cancellation of the scheduled tour.

-The tour POC will complete the Range Tour Request Form and submit it to the 56th Range Management Public Affairs Office. Tours are conducted on a first come, first served basis and are in high demand during the winter/spring months.

-Public tours are done on the first and third Thursday of the month October through May. 

-Tour dates may be scheduled in advance; however, due to the flying schedules, the meeting times at the range gate will not be confirmed by 56 RMO/PA until after 2 p.m. the day prior to the scheduled tour.

-Due to the high demand of tours, groups will only be scheduled 1 tour per season (Oct - May).

-Tours with more than 50 personnel will require additional bathroom facilities at the tour group’s expense. Contact M&M Portable Toilets at 623-327-0290 to schedule.

-Due to hazards on an aerial gunnery range, children under 12 years old are not recommended.

-Tours are scheduled depending on range availability and when laser operations are not scheduled. Tours are subject to cancellation/changes depending on flying operations and mission requirements.

-The Range Control Officer will be the final authority on operations on his range. Any activity that interrupts or distracts from safe operations will be terminated. The RCO has the authority to terminate the tour and direct personnel to clear the tower cab or clear the range, if necessary.

-A tour guide from 56 RMO will greet tour guests at the meeting point and will escort the tour through the access gate and coordinate entry on to the scheduled range with the RCO using established entry procedures. Once the vehicles have parked and personnel disembarked, the tour guide will brief the tour on hazards of the bombing range, movement restrictions per the Hold Harmless Form, and ensure all personnel have a signed Hold Harmless Form. The tour guide will supervise tour trash clean up, request clearance to depart the range, escort the tour departure, and inform the RCO when all vehicles and personnel are clear of the range.

-All guests at the BMGR must be escorted by 56 RMO.

-Late arrivals and unescorted vehicles will be denied access.

-Movement will be restricted to parking area, immediate area around the range shack, tower cab access stairway and tower cab.

-No more than 10 personnel are allowed in the tower cab during flight operations.

-Personnel in tower cab will be as quiet as possible when the RCO is controlling flights.

-Tour personnel will minimize movement on the tower cab access stairway.

-Tour will enter the range and exit the range as one group.

-Proper footwear is highly encouraged and fully enclosed boots or shoes are recommended due to various hazards in the area.

-Participants should bring their own water, snacks, hearing protection and any other comfort items needed as they are not available/will not be provided to guests.

If you are interested in a tour fill out our tour request form and send it to 56RMO.Public.Affairs@us.af.mil.

Did you know that there are parts of our range designated for recreational use?

At the moment we have four designated locations on Barry M. Goldwater Range East that we allow recreational activities; Area B and Area B Hazard Area, Bender Springs, Sentinel Plain, and the Ajo Air Station.

If you have interest in visiting the range you must first get your permit. Each individual 18 years or older must have a permit prior to entry. Individuals under 18 years must be accompanied at all times by a permitted adult. Place a copy of your permit on the vehicle dashboard and carry a copy on your person at all times when recreating on the BMGR-East, BMGR-West, Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, and Area A of the Sonoran Desert National Monument. Each individual must renew their permit annually. 

All permitted areas may present hazards associated with historic military use and the harsh environment of the Sonoran desert. Visitors are responsible for their own safety when recreating in these areas. Know and follow the rules of the areas you visit.

Interested in visiting one of our sites? Visit: https://bmgr.recaccess.com/ and sign up for your permit today! If you have any additional questions or are having issues with your existing account please contact: 623-856-7216. 

Hunting is allowed on certain parts of  the BMGR. Individuals hunting on the range must abide by all Arizona Game and Fish Department rules and regulations and have appropriate licenses and tags along with their permit issued on https://bmgr.recaccess.com/.

Some areas within AZGFD game management units 40A and 40B are used for military training and are NOT accessible and open for hunting.

During the months of November through December special access is given to the BMGR East Air-to-Air segment of the Range to bighorn sheep hunters with tags for 40B, 46A, and 46B. Otherwise this area is NOT open to the public. No other hunting or scouting is allowed in this area.

For those that have been issued Bighorn Sheep Tags we have a special permitting process to get those access on 40B (west of the Mohawk Mountains) along with access to come in from to the north to 46A and 46B on Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge. Please email 56RMO.Public.Affairs@us.af.mil for more information.

For more information in hunting in Arizona please visit https://www.azgfd.com/hunting/.

If you are looking for subject matter experts to speak or set up an informational booth at your upcoming event please send an email to: 56RMO.Public.Affairs@us.af.mil.

If you have a media inquiry specific to the Barry M. Goldwater Range East or Gila Bend Air Force Auxiliary Field please send an email to: 56RMO.Public.Affairs@us.af.mil.

Any other inquiries or requests for Luke Air Force Base please contact the 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs office at: 56FW.PA@us.af.mil.

Training the world’s greatest fighter pilots and combat ready Airmen is the mission of Luke AFB and a good portion of that is done on/in BMGR and GBAFAF land and airspace.

The BMGR is divided into separate segments—numbered and tactical ranges along with portions for recreational use. There are a total of four numbered ranges. Movement on these ranges is generally controlled by a Range Control Officer. They are each set up similarly and consist of a tower, bombing targets, and targets for aerial strafing/shooting.

There are three tactical ranges; north, south and east. These ranges are large open spaces covered with different types of targets. They can be vehicles, tanks, shipping containers stacked to look like buildings, or moving targets. Pretty much anything the pilots can think of to assist in training, the RMO can create downrange.

If you are an organization looking for information about using Barry M. Goldwater Range East or Gila Bend Air Force Auxiliary Field for official military operations please send an email to: 56RMO.ARO@us.af.mil. 

Environmental Responsibility

One of the roles of the 56 RMO is to oversee the BMGR East landscape. Most people know the Range is essential when it comes to the pilots ability to train but there’s a lot more that goes on besides the operations and airspace side of the house. The RMO also has a dedicated environmental section that consists of archeologists, geographers, wildlife biologists and natural resource planners. These roles are essential in land conservation and protecting the unique and sensitive natural and cultural resources of the Sonoran Desert.

Natural Resources: BMGR contains some of the world’s most unique and well-preserved portion of the Sonoran desert. One of the hottest and driest deserts in North America, BMGR is home to many species of plants and animals adapted for life in an arid environment.

Desert bighorn sheep, mule deer, white-tailed deer, javelina, and mountain lion are some of the animals you could see while on the Range. The vast majority of the remaining U.S. habitat for the Sonoran pronghorn, a federally listed endangered species, is within the BMGR and adjacent Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge.

The RMO along with our other partnering agencies go through extensive measures to ensure the land and species are protected.  In addition to the Sonoran pronghorn, the endangered Acuña cactus is also being actively protected. 

Cultural Resources: Traces of prehistoric human settlements, sites and trails are scattered across the Sonoran Desert landscape. Historically, the Tohono O’odham (Papago/Desert People) and Hia C-ed O’odham (Sand People) lived in the area. By the early 1700s, the region was an important route for Spanish explorers and missionaries and later, for American pioneers bound for California. Beginning in the 1880s, ranching and mining became more prevalent. The first military use of the area is documented by the 1941 auxiliary air fields where pilots trained for WWII.

We have 1,554 known archeological sites within the BMGR East that our archeologists work diligently to preserve and protect.

Research and Monitoring

In addition to the research and monitoring done on the more obvious endangered species and cultural sites, the RMO also has numerous of other projects going on behind the scenes.

Wildlife waters, weather stations, remote cameras/data loggers, and erosion studies are a few projects we have on the Range that help us know what’s happening on the Range as well as monitor climate change effects. 

We currently maintain 11 real-time weather stations across the Range to gather data on rainfall and temperature. We also have 12 live cameras which help RMO monitor wildlife and individual species, assess population sizes, and collect data on  various species ecology and behavior. These are just to name a few.

Arizona Commanders Summit

Issue: Arizona Commanders Summit (ACS)

Background: The Military Lands Withdrawal Act of 1999 (Public Law 106-65) transferred the land management function for the Barry M. Goldwater Range (BMGR) from the Department of the Interior to the Department of Defense. Management responsibility was ultimately delegated to the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base (AFB) for the eastern portion and to the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma for the western portion of the range. The Arizona Commanders Summit was originally established to address issues such as joint utilization and stewardship requirements of the BMGR. The initial membership included the primary users of the BMGR: Luke AFB, MCAS Yuma, Davis-Monthan AFB, and the Arizona Air National Guard. The Commanders quickly realized the benefit of such a forum and expanded the scope of the ACS.

What was done: The ACS provided a forum for Commanders to address issues affecting the BMGR. Commanders recognized that there were many other issues of common concern such as: encroachment, environmental compliance, and community relations issues. As a result, the ACS agreed to expand membership to include all military installations in the State of Arizona. An ACS charter established the mission to: facilitate smooth military operations in Arizona and create a cooperative effort among the commanders of Arizona military organizations to ensure the highest possible level of training operations. The focus of the Summit includes air and ground encroachment, environmental concerns, Native American issues, utilization of special-use airspace, range enhancement programs, community relations, and any other issues Arizona military units may have in common. The Commander of the 56th Fighter Wing serves as Chair and the Commander of MCAS Yuma serves as ViceChair. Meetings are held semi-annually in March and September. Meeting locations are rotated throughout the military facilities in Arizona. The hosting unit presents a unit mission briefing and invites their town mayor which assists in community outreach.

How the mission benefited: Through a cooperative exchange of information, the Summit serves as an avenue for members to learn of other units’ approach to the issues which will assist in a standardized resolution to shared problems. The forum helps to develop a strong sense of unity and cooperation among military organizations across all military services in Arizona. Specific endeavors include:  

-Development of installation fact sheets.

-Facilitation of cross-sharing of information which assists military commanders to “speak with one voice” when communicating with State and local jurisdiction.

-Determine best ways to address issues that impact military missions such as location of housing development under convergence of military training routes and location of a cargo airport impacting the ingress/egress location to the BMGR.

-Receive updates on state legislative activities.

-Receive updates and opportunity to provide input on the Joint Land Use Studies (JLUS) conducted in the state of Arizona.

- Attendance at a Summit meeting by the Governor of Arizona and stated commitment of her administrations support of the military mission.

-Communication on the impact of illegal trespass of undocumented aliens on Department of Defense land. This assisted to standardize data collection and impact assessment criteria. As such, the Commanders of Luke AFB and MCAS Yuma briefed the Secretary of Homeland Defense, Mr. Michael Chertoff in May 05 in an effective, unified approach.

-Worked with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and signed a Pollution Prevention Partnership agreement designed to promote mission readiness through effective prevention programs such as de-fueling and recycling.

-Expanded membership to include representation from the Regional Environmental Coordinators (REC) which increased installation commanders’ involvement in mission sustaining environmental planning processes.

The ACS is enthusiastically supported by all Arizona military installations and given its success is under review to be similarly situated in other states and regions.

Lessons Learned: The opportunity for Installation Commanders to meet face to face on a regular basis has been instrumental in developing a better understanding of each others military mission and the problems they encounter. The development of a “One Voice” approach to address operational issues such as encroachment, community relations, airspace, and environmental concerns has proven effective. This interaction between Installation Commanders and their staffs has been instrumental in developing joint use of valuable air and ground training assets and airspace.

For more information please contact the 56th Fighter Wing Range Management Office, Luke AFB, Arizona at 623-856-5857.