OCTOBER 6, 2022 – A new indoor Army Combat Fitness Test and training facility will be available for Soldiers to use at Camp Dodge in Johnston, Iowa, by the end of October 2022.
The facility, called the Field House, cost just under $2 million to build and was completed in under a year.
The Field House features 16 turf lanes, energy saving motion sensor lights and temperature control available for Iowa’s cold winters.
The ACFT is the Army’s new record fitness test as of October 1. Each of the six events provides an assessment of Soldiers’ physical strength, mental toughness, coordination and flexibility while reducing preventable injuries.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s raining or snowing, it will provide a place where you can do all the [ACFT] testing – minus the run – inside,” said Lt. Col. Kent Greiner, officer in charge of Camp Dodge Training Center.
The run and walk portions of the event can still be completed on outdoor tracks at the post. Soldiers will also have the option of conducting the whole test outside on a leveled field right next to the building.
Greiner said they plan to add a half-mile stretch of track outside that circles the Field House in the coming year. A storage area for ACFT equipment will also be added by the end of the month.
“Having it set up with heating and ventilation for use year-round is going to help armories throughout the state,” said Master Sgt. Luke Krier, chief of the Camp Dodge Department of Public Works.
“There’s no off season anymore, so you can get Soldiers in here any time and that’s a big help for readiness.”
The facility is one of several improvement projects that have recently been completed or are in progress throughout the Iowa National Guard.
The projects nest under the Army’s larger modernization initiative to ensure Soldiers have the necessary training and equipment to conduct missions and prepare for future battlefields.
Story by Staff Sgt. Tawny Kruse
Joint Force Headquarters – Iowa National Guard