A groundbreaking was held this week on Ford Island for a $20 million Pacific Warfighting Center that will enable combat commanders and their staffs to train in scenarios that can be live, virtual or networked.

The two-story, 34,000-square-foot complex, scheduled to be completed in July 2009, will possess state-of-the-art training capabilities by providing information technology needed to prepare forces for crisis situations throughout the U.S. Pacific Command region, the military said.

"Hawai'i is the center of the military in the Pacific, so it is natural to have the center here," said U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawai'i. "We should train using the latest available technology."

Adm. Timothy J. Keating, who heads Pacific Command, said, "The more we can simulate real-world conditions and allow our commanders to respond in real time, the greater success we'll have on the battlefield or responding to humanitarian emergencies."

The new center will replace the current simulation center that is housed in a 60-year-old former hospital at Camp Smith, the headquarters for Pacific Command. Officials said the existing facility cannot support advanced training requirements.

Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pacific will oversee the project.

In addition to contracting a local company to build the project, the new center will create security and administrative jobs on O'ahu, Pacific Command said.