By Spc. Duncan Foote, Louisiana National Guard Public Affairs Office
NEW ORLEANS – The Louisiana National Guard held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Lafayette Readiness Center in Lafayette, Louisiana, on October 8, 2025.
The 83,943-square-foot facility is designed to meet the evolving needs of the modern Soldier while providing long-term sustainability and efficiency. Once complete, it will feature a general-purpose training bay, administrative offices, classrooms and storage areas to support unit readiness.
“Projects like this play a crucial role in enhancing the morale of service members while strengthening the local economy,” said Maj. Gen. Thomas Friloux, adjutant general of Louisiana. “I want to thank Gov. Jeff Landry, our congressional and state delegates, the Louisiana Military Department, Col. Slaven and his team at the Construction Facilities and Management Office, as well as the design team at Holly and Smith Architects and MAPP LLC for their collaborative efforts in bringing this project to fruition.”
The design complements the recently completed readiness center in Lake Charles, reflecting LANG’s commitment to modernizing infrastructure and improving operational capabilities.
The readiness center will meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver standards, incorporating energy-efficient systems, sustainable materials and environmentally conscious design to reduce long-term costs and impact.
The land that the readiness center will occupy is owned by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
“Without the support of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, this could not be possible,” said Col. Scott Slaven, LANG Construction and Facilities Management Office director. “Working with a partner like ULL and the people of Lafayette has been great.”
The readiness center will house Soldiers from several key LANG units to include the 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 769th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 199th Brigade Support Battalion and the Louisiana Army National Guard Recruiting and Retention Battalion. The modernized facility will enhance operational readiness, streamline administrative functions and improve brigade-level coordination.
