US, Mongolia Dedicate New Training Facility

On 22 September 2009, senior officials from the United States Department of State and Defense as well as senior personnel of Mongolia, celebrated several major renovations to the Armed Forces Five Hills Training Center, just outside Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

The $3.5 million renovation is just one of a series of upgrades and renovations that have taken place over the over the last two and a half years. Since March of 2007, the United States, through the Global Peace Operations Initiative, has spent more than $5.7 million dollars and completed six renovation or upgrade projects.

The renovated facility has upgraded the Mongolian, post World War II headquarters building, into a modern regional peace operations training center. The newly dedicated facility will become a valuable regional training center for United Nations peacekeeping operations and will stand out as the star attraction for units participating in the annual Khaan Quest Exercise.

Previous projects at the Five Hills facility have included; updating the dining facilities, barracks, medical facilities, and classroom. The U.S. also confirmed that a new project, the renovation of the post headquarters, is scheduled to get underway in 2010.