Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Jon Lee, Command Executive Officer and staff of the 9th Mission Support Command (9th MSC) of the Army Reserve based in Fort Shafter, Hawai’i, speaking Monday during the 9th MSC forum regarding the Modular Small Arms Range (MSAR) being constructed in Tafuna.

Lee, at the outset of the forum, gave a Powerpoint presentation of the indoor shooting range facility, which will be surrounded by an 8-foot wall. There will be quarterly inspections of the facility and any defects discovered will result in the suspension of activities until they are resolved.

It also noted that no noise heard will be heard, and that ammunition used will be accounted for, stored and sealed for transportation off-island.

The audience was also told that weapons for the facility will be stored at the Army Reserve Center. 

Lee informed the forum participants that the 9th MSC had sought land further down from the Army Reserve Center not far from the runway, but didn’t get that parcel of land. 

Those in attendance included teachers and students from South Pacific Academy who voiced their concerns over the safety of the facility, located between their school and Tafuna High School.

The second public form on the MSAR was held yesterday, also at the Army Reserve Center. The two-day forum is the third in a series of public engagements in American Samoa relating to the MSAR, which is near completion.

According to the US Army, the enclosed shooting bay will meet federal safety and environmental requirements.

Joseph Yokoyama (right) of the 9th Mission Support Command (9th MSC) Training Resources of the US Army Reserve based in Fort Shafter, Hawai’i, speaking with students from South Pacific Academy (SPA) at the Army Reserve Center in Tafuna on Monday.

Yokoyama is seen explaining to the students some of the safety issues relating to the 9th MSC’s Modular Small Arms Range (MSAR) being constructed in Tafuna.

On the table is a sample of an extra layer of protection for the facility to ensure security, a military bulletproof helmet to be worn inside the indoor shooting range, and simulated weapons — N4 rifle and 9mm handgun.

Yokoyama gave a safety briefing after students sat in on the MSAR forum.

Community safety concerns about the location of the MSAR so close to two schools — Tafuna High School and SPA — were addressed during the public forums. [photo: Leua Aiono Frost]