[2] The Castlemartin Training Area was established in 1938[3] from both deserted and inhabited farmland, and from parts of the defunct Cawdor Estate.

Therefore, a NATO accordance was agreed in Paris whereby the fledgling West German forces could use the 5,000-acre (2,000 ha)[note 1] range at Castlemartin.

[9] In May 2012, Ranger Michael Maguire from the 1st Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment died in a live fire incident on the range.

[10] Ranger Maguire was resting in a safe area where he had removed his body armour and helmet when a stray round entered his temple.

[11] The machine gun fire that was responsible for his death also put civilians at risk on neighbouring beaches although there was no report of injuries.

[13] On 4 March 2021, Sergeant Gavin Hillier of 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards died during a live firing exercise.

The installation covers roughly 6,000 acres (2,400 hectares) making it the largest single part of DTE P.[15][8] The ranges are active for 44 weeks of the year and when in use can include a coastal exclusion zone of as much as 12 nautical miles (22 km) off the coast, or as little as 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) depending on which weapon system and ammunition is being used.

It contains a wide variety of flora, along with important archaeological and geological findings, including notable fossils.