Fort Irwin National Training Center serves as the Army’s premier training center. The area has a rich history dating to the Pinta Indians, Father Garces, Jedidiah Smith, Capt. John Fremont, and Kit Carson. The Old Spanish Trail passes through the reservation, and the area was patrolled by the Mormon Battalion. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Mojave Anti-Aircraft Range there in 1940, and it was renamed Camp Irwin in 1942 in honor of Major General George Leroy Irwin. Through the years it was deactivated and activated several times. It has been the National Training Center since 1979, was activated in 1980, and went on active duty status in 1981. Its mission is to conduct tough realistic land operations with unified action partners to prepare brigade combat teams and other units for combat while taking care of soldiers, civilians, and families.