Fort Campbell, KY – Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), will begin a three-week division-wide training exercise, known as Operation Lethal Eagle III, starting in the late hours of July 31st, and continuing through August 21st, 2023.
This pre-planned training event is an exercise to build Soldier and unit lethality within the world’s premier air assault division.
Residents in parts of Tennessee and Kentucky should expect more military vehicles on the road and helicopters in the skies as part of the division-wide exercise.
Training that will take place includes air assault operations, small unit maneuvers, live fire training, artillery firing exercises, and aerial gunnery. This training will cause a higher level of noise and activity in the surrounding areas of Fort Campbell. There will be increased military helicopter flights in and around Hopkinsville, KY due to the use of the Hopkinsville airport as an aviation re-fuel point.
Convoys of military vehicles will use public roadways between Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and Fort Knox, KY between July 31st – August 22nd-23rd. These movements will occur during daylight hours, which may cause temporary disruptions to road traffic.
Additionally, access to the Fort Campbell installation through Angels and Mabry gates will be restricted to authorized personnel only during this time.
The following gates will be temporarily closed during the exercise: Palmyra Gate, 101st Airborne Gate, and Lafayette Gate.
All personally owned vehicle traffic without pre-authorization will need to access Fort Campbell through Gates 7 and 10 or ANY other gate on Fort Campbell Boulevard.
The majority of the military traffic on public roads will be on I-24 (from Fort Campbell, Exit 86 to Exit 81), I-169, Western Kentucky Parkway, and I-69.
“We’re alerting the public to reduce inconvenience in travel time and to remind motorists to use extra caution when driving near military vehicle convoys,” said Lt. Col. Tony Hoefler, spokesman for the 101st Airborne Division.
“Our first priority is safety. We encourage the public to plan accordingly and allow extra travel time, especially if traveling on I-24, I-169, Western Kentucky Parkway, I-69 and through construction zones,” Hoefler stated.
