The construction area for a future transient training brigade headquarters in the 1600 block on the cantonment area is shown at sunset Feb. 2, 2023, at Fort McCoy, Wis. A contract, totaling $11,964,432.87, was awarded June 9, 2022, to L.S. Black Constructors to build the fiscal year 2022 Transient Training Brigade Headquarters project at Fort McCoy. Construction operations began in August 2022. Location of construction is just across the street from where the same contractor has been building two new transient training troop barracks buildings in the same block. According to the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works, the brigade headquarters project is based on the denser, more consolidated footprints of Fort McCoy’s Troop Housing Area Development Plan. The project will include the latest, state-of-the-art systems for fire protection and alarms and video surveillance as well as Energy Monitoring Control Systems. Also, anti-terrorism and force protection measures will be incorporated. And throughout the entire project, sustainability and energy efficient technology will be incorporated. Overall, including this building and the two barracks already built, eight new buildings are planned for the entire 1600 block. The plan is to build four barracks buildings, the three 20,000-square-foot brigade headquarters buildings, and one 160-room officer quarters. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is coordinating the project. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)

Soldiers with the 153rd Engineer Battalion and 211th Engineer Company participate in a breach-of-a-complex-obstacle training event July 17, 2023, at Warrens Drop Zone on North Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. The 153rd is an engineer unit with the South Dakota Army National Guard as well as the 211th. The training event was the culmination training event for the 153rd and its associated units during their annual training in July 2023 at Fort McCoy. The large-scale training event included opposing forces, obstacles, simulated explosive actions, and more. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)

An Airman with an Air National Guard security forces unit takes the plunge for cold-water immersion Jan. 27, 2023, as part of a 16-day Cold-Weather Operations Course led by the Air Force at Fort McCoy, Wis. More than 50 Airmen were participating in the training from across the Air Force. Besides cold-water immersion, the Airmen also learned about cold-weather shelters, survival techniques, cold-weather uniform wear, and more. Fort McCoy has a long history of supporting cold-weather training. Eighty years prior to this training, in January 1943, the installation hosted winter training for the Army's 76th Division prior to the Division deploying to Europe to fight in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office)

The construction area for a future transient training brigade headquarters in the 1600 block on the cantonment area is shown Oct. 31, 2022, at Fort McCoy, Wis. A contract, totaling $11,964,432.87, was awarded June 9, 2022, to L.S. Black Constructors to build the fiscal year 2022 Transient Training Brigade Headquarters project at Fort McCoy. Construction operations began in August 2022. Location of construction is just across the street from where the same contractor has been building two new transient training troop barracks buildings in the same block. According to the Army Corps of Engineers, which is managing the project, the brigade headquarters project is based on the denser, more consolidated footprints of Fort McCoy’s Troop Housing Area Development Plan which states “fewer, multiple story buildings allow facilities/functions to be sited closer together, allowing for a more walkable training environment, as well as saving money on utilities.” The smaller footprint of the brigade headquarters building plan builds less impervious surface, which generates less stormwater runoff that requires less stormwater management features and allows for additional cost savings. The floor plan also is based on the “Operational Readiness Training Complex” standard design and additional square footage has been included in this project to accommodate stair and elevator access to the second floor.” (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)

An Air Force pilot guides an A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft over the airspace on South Post at Fort McCoy, Wis., on Sept. 14, 2023, as part of training operations at installation. Several A-10s completed taking off and landing at Young Air Assault Strip on South Post and flying routes over the installation. According to the Air Force fact sheet for the A-10C, the Thunderbolt II is the first Air Force aircraft specially designed for close air support of ground forces. They are simple, effective and survivable twin-engine jet aircraft that can be used against light maritime attack aircraft and all ground targets, including tanks and other armored vehicles. The A-10C offers excellent maneuverability at low airspeeds and altitude while maintaining a highly accurate weapons-delivery platform. They can loiter near battle areas for extended periods of time, are capable of austere landings and operate under 1,000-foot ceilings (303.3 meters) with 1.5-mile (2.4 kilometers) visibility. Additionally, with the capability of carrying precision guided munitions and unguided munitions, they can employ above, below and in the weather. A-10C pilots can also conduct their missions during darkness. (U.S. Army Photo by Claudia Neve, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)

The construction area for a future transient training brigade headquarters in the 1600 block on the cantonment area is shown Jan. 5, 2023, at Fort McCoy, Wis. A contract, totaling $11,964,432.87, was awarded June 9, 2022, to L.S. Black Constructors to build the fiscal year 2022 Transient Training Brigade Headquarters project at Fort McCoy. Construction operations began in August 2022. Location of construction is just across the street from where the same contractor has been building two new transient training troop barracks buildings in the same block. According to the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works, the brigade headquarters project is based on the denser, more consolidated footprints of Fort McCoy’s Troop Housing Area Development Plan. The project will include the latest, state-of-the-art systems for fire protection and alarms and video surveillance as well as Energy Monitoring Control Systems. Also, anti-terrorism and force protection measures will be incorporated. And throughout the entire project, sustainability and energy efficient technology will be incorporated. Overall, including this building and the two barracks already built, eight new buildings are planned for the entire 1600 block. The plan is to build four barracks buildings, the three 20,000-square-foot brigade headquarters buildings, and one 160-room officer quarters. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is coordinating the project. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)

Airmen with multiple Air National Guard security forces units learn to build an Arctic 10-person tent Jan. 19, 2023, as part of a 16-day Cold-Weather Operations Course led by the Air Force at Fort McCoy, Wis. More than 50 Airmen were participating in the training from across the Air Force. Besides learning about using these tents in a cold-weather environment, the Airmen also learned about building improvised cold-weather shelters, survival techniques, cold-weather uniform wear, and more. Fort McCoy has a long history of supporting cold-weather training. Eighty years prior to this training, in January 1943, the installation hosted winter training for the Army's 76th Division prior to the Division deploying to Europe to fight in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office)

Contractors work on barracks renovations March 24, 2023, at Fort McCoy, Wis. According to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Omaha District’s Rapid Response Team has been at work completing the expedited renovation of more than 200 Army barracks at Fort McCoy. Each barracks is approximately 3,000 square feet and the scope of work includes all the heating and ventilation systems, plumbing, electrical, and structural repairs. The project started in July 2022 and is slated to be complete in August 2023. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)

The construction area for a future transient training brigade headquarters in the 1600 block on the cantonment area is shown May 23, 2023, at Fort McCoy, Wis. A contract, totaling $11,964,432.87, was awarded June 9, 2022, to L.S. Black Constructors to build the fiscal year 2022 Transient Training Brigade Headquarters project at Fort McCoy. Construction operations began in August 2022. Location of construction is just across the street from where the same contractor has been building two new transient training troop barracks buildings in the same block. According to the Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works, the brigade headquarters project is based on the denser, more consolidated footprints of Fort McCoy’s Troop Housing Area Development Plan. The project will include the latest, state-of-the-art systems for fire protection and alarms and video surveillance as well as Energy Monitoring Control Systems. Also, anti-terrorism and force protection measures will be incorporated. And throughout the entire project, sustainability and energy efficient technology will be incorporated. Overall, including this building and the two barracks already built, eight new buildings are planned for the entire 1600 block. The plan is to build four barracks buildings, the three 20,000-square-foot brigade headquarters buildings, and one 160-room officer quarters. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is coordinating the project. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)

The Fort McCoy rail operations team with the Fort McCoy Logistics Readiness Center conducts a rail movement operation May 19, 2023, at Fort McCoy, Wis. This is part of the first rail movement at the installation in 2023. Fort McCoy’s rail operations support team is staffed by people operating locomotives to move railcars in place for loading, people working with units and unit Soldiers to get training on how to load railcars, people to assist with moving cargo, and more. As a whole, Fort McCoy is one of few installations Armywide that operates and supports Army-owned locomotives and conducts rail operations in the level like it does. In 2022, Fort McCoy supported three major rail movements. During those three movements, the Fort McCoy rail operations support team helped load and move 315 pieces of equipment on 116 railcars that was approximately the equivalent of 4,311 short tons of cargo. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)

Soldiers with the 153rd Engineer Battalion and 211th Engineer Company participate in a breach-of-a-complex-obstacle training event July 17, 2023, at Warrens Drop Zone on North Post at Fort McCoy, Wis. The 153rd is an engineer unit with the South Dakota Army National Guard as well as the 211th. The training event was the culmination training event for the 153rd and its associated units during their annual training in July 2023 at Fort McCoy. The large-scale training event included opposing forces, obstacles, simulated explosive actions, and more. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)

An F-35A Lightning II with the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing at Madison flies July 27, 2023, over Sparta-Fort McCoy Airport at Fort McCoy, Wis. The flyover the airport was a practice training run for a nearby airshow in Wisconsin. According to its Air Force fact sheet, the F-35, is the U.S. Air Force’s latest fifth-generation fighter, and it will replace the Air Force’s aging fleet of F-16 Fighting Falcons and A-10 Thunderbolt IIs. The F-35 is an agile, versatile, high-performance, 9g-capable multirole fighter that combines stealth, sensor fusion, and unprecedented situational awareness. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)

An aircrew with the 1st Battalion, 147th Aviation Regiment of the Wisconsin National Guard operates a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter for a simulated live-hoist rescue Sparta-Fort McCoy Airport on July 27, 2023, at Fort McCoy, Wis., as part of a “dress rehearsal” for an airshow in Oshkosh, Wis., later that week. Members of the unit regularly complete training operations at Fort McCoy, and the unit also supports numerous training events at the installation each year. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott T. Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)

Construction by workers with R.J. Jurowski Construction Inc. of Whitehall, Wis., on the renovation construction project of the Rumpel Fitness Center is shown Sept. 29, 2023, at Fort McCoy, Wis. The project began Nov. 1, 2022. The project includes the exterior receiving new siding, roofing, and sidewalks as well as a storage addition. The interior is receiving a full layout redesign that includes locker rooms, cardio/stretching/equipment areas, and offices. There will also be fresh paint throughout, a new entryway and vestibule, and a new redesigned pool, Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works officials said. (U.S. Army Photo by Scott Sturkol, Public Affairs Office, Fort McCoy, Wis.)

Fort McCoy’s total economic impact for fiscal year (FY) 2023 was an estimated $1.38 billion, Fort McCoy Garrison officials announced.

The data was compiled by Fort McCoy’s Plans, Analysis and Integration Office.

Workforce payroll, operating costs, and other expenditures totaled more than $346 million for FY 2023.

A total of 2,113 personnel worked at Fort McCoy in FY 2023 — 1,279 civilians, 411 military, and 499 contract employees.

Approximately 69 percent of the workforce lives within Monroe County. The total FY 2023 workforce payroll for civilian and military personnel was $190.5 million.

FY 2023 operating costs of $346 million included utilities, physical plant maintenance, repair and improvements, new construction projects, purchases of supplies and services, as well as salaries for civilian contract personnel working at Fort McCoy.

Other expenditures accounted for $22.5 million and covered $435,850 in payments to local governments (including land permit agreements, school district impact aid, etc.) as well as $22.1 million in discretionary spending in local communities by service members training and residing at Fort McCoy.

Other factors of economic impact for the fiscal year included more than $58 million in military construction on post.

Fort McCoy also supported training for 86,090 troops in FY 2023, which ran from Oct. 1, 2022, to Sept. 30, 2023. The training population included reserve- and active-component personnel from throughout the military.

The installation saw an increase of more than 8,600 troops training on post in FY 2023 from the 77,411 troops who trained at Fort McCoy in FY 2022.

Larry Sharp, chief of the Fort McCoy Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security (DPTMS) Training Coordination Branch, said the training numbers include Army Reserve Soldiers; National Guard service members; and active-duty troops from not just the Army but also other services, such as the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force.

Training statistics reflect many types of training opportunities that take place at the installation by active- and reserve-component forces and other governmental agencies, according to DPTMS.

During fiscal year 2023, training included battle-drill (weekend) training; annual training; mobilization; institutional training; and numerous exercises, including an Exportable Combat Training Capability exercise, Combat Support Training Exercise, Global Medic, Spartan Warrior III military police exercise, and numerous other training events — all also contributing to local economic impact as well.

When looking back the last five years, Fort McCoy’s economic impact has continuously been $1 billion or higher every year to local economies. In FY 2019 it was $1.18 billion, all the way to FY 2023’s $1.38 billion.

In July 2023, Fort McCoy Garrison Commander Col. Stephen Messenger spoke about the importance of the installation’s economic impact to the 17th Wisconsin Government Opportunities Business Conference that took place on post.

Messenger described how the installation’s vast training space and facilities attract training opportunities for many units to come to the post, which also affects economic impact. He also mentioned new construction.

“There’s 48,000 training acres and 3,000 cantonment acres,” Messenger said. “The importance of that means we put a lot of money into this thing. … That’s ... millions of dollars in contracts. That’s ... millions of dollars in new construction. It’s ... millions of dollars in payroll that we have here. And this is a driver of the economy. … It’s because of the integration that we have in the local community. And mainly when I say ‘local,’ I mean, this part of the region.”

And just two years ago, Stephen Sullivan, the Chief Financial Officer and Director for Resources, Installations, and Materiel for the Office of the Chief of the Army Reserve, visited Fort McCoy and said the post should continued to be a focus for the future for Reserve training and more.

“I think Fort McCoy is going to continue to be a key piece of the U.S. Army Reserve’s infrastructure that’s necessary to train and mobilize our forces,” Sullivan said in a 2022 news article. “And as I mentioned before, there’s a lot of overall pressure on availability of funding and a lot of competing priorities. So, when I talk about people, modernization, and readiness, it’s always about how do we make sure that we fund all of these things appropriately.

“What I appreciate is like when I talked to the (Fort McCoy) staff and got a sense of how they’re being innovative, how they’re maximizing the use of training areas and finding places where you can do different types of training using the same training areas,” Sullivan said.

Fort McCoy’s history also shows that from 1990 to the present day, new construction projects have served to modernize the post’s infrastructure, facilities, and training areas.

“The hundreds of millions of dollars invested in the post have benefited Fort McCoy as well the local economy, with the majority of the new construction contracts having been awarded to regional firms,” the history states in The 2023-24 Fort McCoy Guide. “Today, Fort McCoy’s primary mission is to support the readiness of the force by serving as a training center, mobilization force generation installation, and strategic support area. The installation has served in a continuing capacity as an Army power-projection site by processing and preparing military personnel for duty in overseas contingency operations.”

Additionally, in the Fort McCoy Executive Summary published annually by the installation it also directly addresses the fort’s growth and support via economic impact.

“Throughout the last decade, Fort McCoy experienced unprecedented facility modernization, training area development and expansion, increased training and customer support capability, and improved quality-of-life opportunities,” the summary states. “From unmanned aerial vehicles to urban training facilities, to live-fire ranges and virtual-training environments, Fort McCoy is prepared to meet the training needs of the Army in the 21st century.”

A gross multiplier index (GMI) of 4.0 was used to determine the overall effect of the expenditures in the local economy. The GMI measures the number of times a dollar turns over within a region and was developed by the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Fort McCoy was established in 1909 and its motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.” Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.

The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services for 35 of 38 years since 1984.

Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”

Also try downloading the Digital Garrison app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”

(Article prepared by the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office.)