The U.S. Army says "war" justifies the need for construction at a sacred site in Oklahoma.

The Army is planning a training services center at Fort Sill. Construction was halted temporarily due to objections by the Comanche Nation.

The tribe is seeking a permanent injunction to protect Medicine Bluffs, a a place of immense healing and spiritual medicine for the Comanche people. The tribe says it wasn't properly consulted about the work and that the Army can build elsewhere in Fort Sill.

But the Department of Justice says the tribe was told about the project months ago. A brief filed in court on Wednesday also defended the need for the training center.

“The United States is now at war,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Major told the court, the Associated Press reported. “Training is the top priority of the Army. It is the cornerstone of combat readiness. Training is what Fort Sill does."

Get the Story:
Comanches seek halt to Fort Sill project (AP 9/18)

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