Mountain Warfare Training Camp Michael Monsoor

Mountain Warfare Training Camp Michael Monsoor (formerly known as La Posta Mountain Warfare Training Facility), located at 3500 ft elevation and 50 mi east of San Diego, near the unincorporated community of Campo, in San Diego County, is a 1063 acre training facility used by the Naval Special Warfare Center.

History
The 1063 acre site has a firing range, an administration building, barracks, and a 5000 m length mountain endurance training course. The Navy has operated on the 1300 acre plus acres since the early 1960s, and is seeking to set aside an additional 4486 acre of federal Bureau of Land Management property for the facility. The Mountain Warfare Training Facility served as a satellite tracking station for many years until current technology made the giant tracking dishes obsolete. The property was reconfigured as a training center when the station was shut down in 1986. The camp is named for Master-at-Arms Second Class Petty Officer Michael A. Monsoor, a member of SEAL Team 3, who sacrificed his life for his comrades in 2006, during the Iraq War. He was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.

Operations
In 1998, Naval Base Coronado gave permission for the Naval Special Warfare Command to use the site for mountain warfare training of the Naval Special Warfare Group One which trains its SEAL and SDV teams there, and conducts BUD/S classes. The La Posta Navy Mountain Warfare Training Facility plays a critical role in military training because the area’s land and terrain closely resemble the environments found in Korea and parts of Iraq and Afghanistan. Its close proximity to most military bases in San Diego County allows for maximum training time with limited travel time and expense for its Group One. The unencumbered area around La Posta and its proximity to the Laguna Mountains makes it an ideal location for special reconnaissance training, map and compass training, and other specialized special warfare training. Camp Michael Monsoor, like San Clemente Island, is one of the few places that allow special forces to train in a real life environment with limited encroachment problems.