OCTOBER 3, 2025 – The Maryland Air National Guard held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly constructed indoor small-arms training range at Warfield Air National Guard Base at Martin State Airport, September 23, 2025.
The $9.2 million project consists of 14 shooting lanes in the 11,560 square foot facility, which has screens to show individual shot placement. Shooters will also have the ability to train in a simulated low-light environment and at moving targets.
The ceremony, hosted by Maryland Lt. Governor Aruna Miller, was also attended by Maryland National Guard leadership, including Maryland Army National Guard Maj. Gen. Janeen L. Birckhead, Adjutant General for Maryland, Maryland Air National Guard Brig. Gen. Drew Dougherty, Assistant Adjutant General – Air, and Maryland Air National Guard Capt. Allison Fleming, commander of the 175th Security Forces Squadron.
“This small-arms range is an incredible asset to us now,” said Fleming. “It means we will have more confident, more lethal, and more proficient Defenders and Airmen.”
The facility includes ballistic containment, HEPA-filtered ventilation, target retrieval systems, and sound attenuation. It will enable Airmen to complete weapons qualification without travel and protect against weather-related injuries and schedule disruptions.
The ribbon-cutting took place outside of the high-tech facility, the first such on-base firing range for the base. Fleming kicked off the ceremony and Dougherty followed with additional remarks about the importance of this on-base capability for readiness.
“We know that we will deploy in the future, and now that we have this capability on base, we can train all of our Airmen right here,” said Dougherty. “I couldn’t be more excited to be here today to open this new facility, and we are truly excited to have this ribbon-cutting ceremony.”
After remarks from Birckhead and Lt. Gov. Miller, guests were invited inside for a facility tour and live range demonstration. Combat Arms Training and Maintenance instructors, who are security forces Airmen that train other Guard members on the safe use of small arms and maintain the inventory of weapons, will manage the range.
“The training opportunities that this range will provide to our Airmen of the 175th Wing will make them more confident to ensure that they are always ready, always there when called upon to serve the state or nation,” said Birckhead. “On such a historic day, I am proud to open the doors of this facility and to highlight the next chapter of the Maryland Air National Guard.”
The modular firing range design enhances comprehensive training opportunities that are convenient while saving money on travel costs. Airmen from the Wing contracting team, 175th Civil Engineer Squadron, and 175th Force Support Squadron teamed up to help the project move forward.
“This range will be an absolute game changer when it comes to qualifying and preparing Wing personnel for deployments,” said Fleming. “I am grateful to everyone who supported this project, both at the National Guard Bureau and here at the 175th Wing, and I am thrilled to see our Combat Arms instructors highlighted because their tireless dedication to ensuring Wing readiness has been nothing short of incredible.”
Story by Senior Master Sgt. Christopher Schepers
175th Wing, Maryland Air National Guard