Fort Irwin National Training Center

Fort Irwin National Training Center is a United States Army installation in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, located roughly 37 miles northeast of Barstow. The site was first established in 1940 as the Mojave Anti-Aircraft Range and was formally designated Camp Irwin in 1942, honoring Major General George LeRoy Irwin. After periods of deactivation and maintenance status, it was activated as the National Training Center on October 16, 1980. Today it covers more than 1,000 square miles and serves as a major maneuver and combat training area, where Army units rotate through realistic battlefield scenarios against a resident opposing force. Decades of industrial support, vehicle maintenance, and live training operations have shaped the installation's environmental history.

As with many long-operating military installations, activities at Fort Irwin have been associated with the release of several substances into soil and groundwater, and the base has been included in federal and state programs that investigate and address potential contamination. The concerns below reflect documented investigations rather than confirmed exposures or health outcomes.

1. PFAS: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are a large family of synthetic chemicals valued for their resistance to heat, water, and grease. At Fort Irwin, the Department of Defense conducted a Preliminary Assessment and Site Inspection of PFAS, finalized in December 2022, to evaluate areas where these chemicals may have been used or released. Research has raised concerns about potential exposure to PFAS and certain health effects, which is why the VA tracks these substances.
2. AFFF: Aqueous film-forming foam is a firefighting agent historically used to suppress fuel fires and the primary documented source of PFAS at many military sites. Use and storage of AFFF in firefighting and training contexts at Fort Irwin prompted the PFAS investigation. Concerns about potential exposure stem from the PFAS compounds these foams contain.
3. Solvents: Industrial solvents, including degreasers used in vehicle and equipment maintenance, are common at installations of this scale. Solvent and petroleum contamination has been documented among the cleanup sites under state oversight in the Lahontan region, where Fort Irwin operations have prompted installation restoration work. Some solvents such as TCE have been associated with concerns about potential exposure through soil and groundwater.
4. Heavy metals: Metals can enter the environment through maintenance, firing ranges, and pyrotechnic or munitions-related activities. Metals are listed among the contaminant types found across Department of Defense cleanup sites in the region that includes Fort Irwin. Concerns about potential exposure to heavy metals relate chiefly to long-term contact with affected soil or water.

Fort Irwin is not listed on the National Priorities List as a federal Superfund site. Its environmental work is carried out under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program and the Installation Restoration Program, with regulatory oversight from the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Lahontan Region, under the Defense and State Memorandum of Agreement. The PFAS investigation remained in the Preliminary Assessment and Site Inspection stage, and according to the assessment, finished Army-provided drinking water did not contain PFOS or PFOA above the EPA health advisory levels in place at the time.

Veterans, family members, and civilian workers who served or lived at Fort Irwin may wish to stay informed as investigations continue and standards evolve. Anyone with questions about possible exposure or related health concerns is encouraged to speak with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and a personal healthcare provider, who can offer guidance based on individual circumstances.