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It was cold and windy as Asymmetric Warfare Group Deputy Commander Frank Bohel stood on a mound of dirt behind old World War II barracks off of Rock Avenue.

The weather was unfavorable for an outdoor ceremony, but it served as a reminder of the reason that AWG leaders were breaking ground Jan. 18 for a new, indoor gun range.

"[When you're cold] you're shaking, instead of really understanding how it [the weapon is] performing," Bohel said.

Shovel in hand, Bohel was joined by Garrison Commander Col. Edward C. Rothstein, AWG commander Col. Patrick Mahaney and Col. David Anderson, district engineer for the Baltimore District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers -- all in hard hats.

Standing side-by-side, they broke ground on a $7.21 million indoor gun range for AWG.

The brief ceremony marked the beginning of construction for a new 26,000-square-foot facility that also will include control towers, a classroom and a small-arms cleaning room.

The facility, which was contracted to John C. Grimberg Company of Rockville, is estimated to be completed in about 18 months, depending on weather.

AWG is a joint-service group that provides observation, analysis, training and advisory support to Army and joint-force units in order to enhance their capabilities to predict, mitigate, counter and defeat asymmetric threats and methods.

"This facility will help us do that better ... [and] better train our Soldiers," Mahaney said during the ceremony.

Currently, AWG is using two temporary indoor ranges near its headquarters on Morrison Street, but they are so narrow that only a few service members can use the facilities at one time.

To allow full AWG squadrons to train together at the facility, the new range will feature more than a dozen 50-meter lanes.

"That's a vast improvement over what we have," said Arthur Bailey, AWG facility manager.

In addition to providing 14 lanes for firing, the range will allow for more training abilities. But to create more space, it will not contain shooting booths. Instead, the area will have the capacity for full-size vehicles from which to practice shooting, Bailey said.

To provide more realistic training, the facility will use advanced targets that move left and right and can turn sideways. The targets' movements will be controlled by the towers. Service members also will be able to practice night-vision shooting.

A benefit of the indoor range is that it allows training regardless of climate and weather. Because AWG deploys service members on short notice, the ability to train at any given time is crucial to their mission, said Bohel.

"It's critical that we have a place to conduct pre-deployment training for the members of AWG," he said. "You can't take away from the ability of training anytime day or night, any weather condition."

Bohel said other units from Fort Meade will eventually be able to train at the range as well.

Because AWG works to close "armor capability gaps" for the Army, the new facility will provide a more efficient environment to test equipment such as sights and night-scopes, said Bohel.

Construction of the gun range is part of a larger project to build a new complex for AWG at Fort Meade that will include a new headquarters and operations facility. Plans for the estimated 85,000-square-foot complex are still in the design stage.

The indoor gun range was initially slated for construction in 2008, but plans were continuously postponed.

Bailey said members of AWG are excited to see the project finally under way after years of planning and preparation.

"I'm looking forward to just seeing the ground tore up," he said.