Military Bases and Installations

As a service member in the United States Armed Forces, the term ‘Permanent Change of Station’ or PCS is more than just a familiar phrase—it’s a defining aspect of military life. Each PCS move comes with a whirlwind of logistics, from finding a new home and enrolling children in new schools to the simple yet significant task of learning your way around a new base.

Understanding that each move is both an ending and a new beginning, we’ve crafted this comprehensive guide to major military bases across the globe. Whether you’re a seasoned service member preparing for your next assignment or a newcomer to the military community, this resource is designed to ease your transition and set you up for success at your new post.

In the following pages, you’ll find detailed information on each major military base, including location, size, key facilities, and the units or commands they host. We also delve into the surrounding communities, offering insights into local schools, healthcare facilities, housing options, and recreational opportunities.

Naval Base Point Loma

Naval Base Point Loma is located in San Diego, California. It contains seven diverse facilities and is pivotal to the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command.

Fort Hamilton

Fort Hamilton is in New York City, and is a U.S. Army installation serving the Army National Guard and U.S. Army reserve for the New York Metropolitan area.

Holloman Air Force Base

Holloman Air Force Base near Alamogordo, New Mexico is a U.S. Air Force Installment focusing on both domestic and international aviation training.

Francis E. Warren Air Force Base

Francis E. Warren Air Force Base near Cheyenne, Wyoming, is a U.S. Air Force installment that’s part of the country’s nuclear deterrence strategy.

Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans

The Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans is in Belle Chasse, Louisiana, and serves the U.S. Navy and the Louisiana Air National Guard.

Fort Cavazos

Fort Cavazos is near Killeen, Texas. It is the most populated military installation, and it is home to the 1st Cavalry Division and 3rd Cavalry Regiment.

Fort Novosel

Fort Novosel, previously known as Fort Rucker, lies near Daleville, Alabama. It’s primarily known for aviation training.

Schriever Space Force Base

Schriever Space Force Base lies just outside Colorado Springs, Colorado and work in cooperation with Peterson Space Force Base in operating NORAD.

Tobyhanna Army Depot

Tobyhanna Army Depot is a U.S. Army installation in Coolbaugh Township, Pennsylvania, is the home of the U.S. Army Force Technology Repair Center.

Naval Support Activity Panama City

Naval Support Activity Panama City is on the Florida coast, and specializes in nautical warfare equipment research due to its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico.

U.S. Army Garrison Presidio of Monterey

U.S. Army Garrison Presidio of Monterey is the home of the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center that serves the entire Department of Defense.

Defense Logistics Agency Susquehanna

Defense Logistics Agency Susquehanna is in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania. It is the largest distribution facility operated by the U.S. Department of Defense.

Fort Hunter Liggett

Fort Hunter Liggett is in Jolon, California and is the largest U.S. Army reserve post. It’s know for testing new weaponry and live fire field exercise training.

Marine Corps Recruit Depot

Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego in California is the primary training installation for newly enlisted members of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Pine Bluff Arsenal

Pine Bluff Arsenal is a U.S. Army installation located in central Arkansas, and it focuses on supplying products to Armed Forces and Homeland Security.

Little Rock Air Force Base

Little Rock Air Force Base is near Little Rock, Arkansas, and emphasizes training pilots for tactical airlifts and aerial delivery using the C-130 Hercules.

Seymour Johnson Air Force Base

Seymour Johnson AFB is in Goldsboro, North Carolina and a vital training installment for the U.S. Army Air Corps and the Air Force Reserve Command.

Naval Weapons Station Yorktown

Naval Weapons Station Yorktown is a U.S. Naval installation near Norfolk, Virginia that acts as a crucial storage facility for the U.S. Atlantic Fleet.

SCSC Wallops Island

SCSC Wallops Island is located on the eastern coast of Virginia, and serves as an installment focused on testing rockets and aircrafts for NASA and the NOAA.

Fort Greely

Fort Greely is a U.S. Army Garrison in Alaska. It is a key strategic installation crucial to the national defense because of its missile defense system.

U.S. Army Cadet Command 5th Brigade

The U.S. Army Cadet Command 5th Brigade is a ROTC recruiting facility based out of Fort Sam Houston at Joint Base San Antonio in Texas.

U.S. Army Cadet Command 3rd Brigade

U.S. Army Cadet Command 3rd Brigade is a ROTC recruitment installment on Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois, just north of Chicago.

U.S. Army Cadet Command 7th Brigade

US Army Cadet Command 7th Brigade is a facility located at Fort Knox in Kentucky. It primarily focuses on the recruitment and development of ROTC Cadets.

U.S. Army Cadet Command 1st Brigade

US Army Cadet Command 1st Brigade is a facility located at Fort Knox in Kentucky. It primarily focuses on the recruitment and development of ROTC Cadets.

U.S. Army Recruiting Nashville Battalion

The U.S. Army Recruiting Nashville Battalion in Tennessee, is one of many U.S. Army Recruitment facilities nationwide.

U.S. Army Recruiting Atlanta Battalion

U.S. Army Recruiting Atlanta Battalion is in Georgia and has a nationwide goal to recruit men and women into the U.S. Army and Army Reserve.

U.S. Army Cadet Command Headquarters

U.S. Army Cadet Command in Kentucky oversees the nation’s largest ROTC, training and commissioning officers, and administering Junior ROTC in high schools.

Laughlin Air Force Base

Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas, is the USAF’s largest pilot training base. It houses the 47th Flying Training Wing and the 96th Flying Training Squadron.

Luke Air Force Base

Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, now operated by the 56th Fighter Wing, is a modern hub for training specializing in F-16 and F-35 pilot training.

Fort Irwin

Fort Irwin is in California’s Mojave Desert, overseen by the U.S. Army Forces Command, is training center. It houses the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment.

Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort

MCAS Beaufort is in Beaufort, South Carolina, and supports the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. It also houses four F/A-18 squadrons and one F-35B training squadron.

Creech Air Force Base

Creech Air Force Base in Nevada is a key USAF command center specializing in operating remotely piloted aircraft and offering advanced training facilities.

Naval Weapons Station Earle

Naval Weapons Station Earle is in Colts Neck, New Jersey, and it’s pivotal to the U.S. Navy for storing and supplying ammunition in the region.

Patrick Space Force Base

Patrick Space Force Base in Brevard County, Florida, is essential for support for space missions and oversees all unmanned launches from Cape Canaveral.

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida is crucial for space missions including the first U.S. Earth satellite and astronaut.

Naval Base San Diego

Naval Base San Diego in California serves as a crucial hub for Navy port operations, and is integral for Pacific Fleet homeport operations and security.

Naval Submarine Base New London

Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut is the U.S. Navy’s primary East Coast base for submarine deployment and training.

U.S. Army Garrison White Sands

USAG White Sands, New Mexico is the U.S. Army’s largest missile test site, and is most notably known for hosting the 1945 Trinity nuclear bomb test.

U.S. Army Cadet Command 6th Brigade

The U.S. Army Cadet Command 6th Brigade is a part of Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia. It oversees Army ROTC and Junior ROTC units across the southern U.S.

USAG Detroit Arsenal

USAG Detroit Arsenal is in Warren, Michigan; it’s the only active-duty military installation in Michigan. It specializes in ground vehicle management.

Altus Air Force Base

Altus AFB in Altus, Oklahoma is home to the 97th Air Mobility Wing, focusing on training flight crews and maintaining aircraft models like the C-17 and KC-135.

NSA Saratoga Springs

Naval Support Activity Saratoga Springs in upstate New York supports naval assets, primarily serving the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command.

Edwards Air Force Base

Edwards Air Force Base in southern California houses the Air Force Test Center while also operating an Air Force pilot school and a NASA research center.

McConnell Air Force Base

McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas is focused on air refueling and airlift operations and housesunits from the Air Mobility Command.

NAS Whiting Field

NAS Whiting Field in Florida is a key U.S. Navy pilot training base, home to Training Air Wing Five and specializes in primary and advanced helicopter training

Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany

Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany in Albany, Georgia specializes in ground combat equipment repair and global logistics.

Picatinny Arsenal

Picatinny Arsenal near Wharton, New Jersey is a U.S. Army installation that is mainly known for its military innovation and tech.

Carlisle Barracks

Carlisle Barracks is in Carlisle, Pennsylvania that hosts the U.S. Army War College and is one of the oldest active military bases in the U.S.

Eielson Air Force Base

Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks, Alaska is a key U.S. Air Force and F-35 program base, offering combat training and hosting RED FLAG-Alaska exercises.

Fort Huachuca, Arizona

Fort Huachuca is near Sierra Vista, Arizona in Cochise County, AZ. It’s the home of the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM).

Fort McCoy

Fort McCoy is in central Wisconsin, and is a training installation spanning over 60,000 acres, and provides training facilities for personnel across all branches.

Naval Station Mayport

Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida houses the U.S.’s third-largest naval surface fleet concentration and is the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command.

Stennis Space Center

The John C. Stennis Space Center is in Hancock, Mississippi and is a U.S. Naval facility that remains a vital NASA rocket testing facility.

Camp Parks

Camp Parks, also known as Parks Reserve Forces Training Area, is in Dublin, CA, near San Francisco. It serves as a training installation for reserve personnel.

Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex

Maxwell Air Force and Gunter Annex are in Montgomery, Alabama and is a major air education and training installation. It also houses the 42nd Air Base Wing.

Marine Corps Base Quantico

Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia is a training installation for the U.S. Marine Corps, the F.B.I. and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Fort Belvoir

Fort Belvoir is in Fairfax County, Virginia. Employing more people than the Pentagon, it has elements from nine distinct Army major commands and entities.

Naval Station Great Lakes

Naval Station Great Lakes is north of Chicago, Illinois and is the largest military installation in Illinois and the largest training station in the U.S. Navy.

Fort Bliss

Fort Bliss is in El Paso, Texas. It is the largest installation in the United States Army Forces Command, and the second-largest in the Army overall.

Fort Detrick

Fort Detrick is near Frederick, Maryland that specializes in biomedical research, medical material management and foreign plant pathogen studies.

Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point

Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point is located near Havelock, North Carolina, along the eastern coast of the state. It serves as a training installment.

MacDill Air Force Base

MacDill Air Force Base is located in Tampa, Florida and is a primarily used to offer airlift support and air refueling.

Naval Air Station Meridian

Naval Air Station Meridian is located just north of Meridian, Mississippi and is an important pilot training facility for the U.S. Navy.

Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth

Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth is near Fort Worth, Texas. It houses reserve units for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force.

Travis Air Force Base

Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California serves as a major installment for passenger and cargo movement. It also features a premier teaching hospital.

Scott Air Force Base

Scott Air Force Base, located in St. Clair County, Illinois is the headquarters for the Air Mobility Command with an emphasis on global mobility missions.

Mountain Home Air Force Base

Mountain Home Air Force Base is located in southern Idaho, and provides combat support in global military missions. It houses the 366th Fighter Wing.

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is in Kittery Maine, and is the Navy’s oldest continuously operating shipyard, focusing on submarine maintenance and modernization.

Naval Air Station Oceana

Naval Air Station Oceana is located in Virginia Beach, Virginia and is considered one of the world’s largest and most advanced air stations.

U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center

U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center, near Boston, Massachusetts and serves as pivotal installation for military technology development and research

Joint Base San Antonio

Joint Base San Antonio is a collective of three previously-independent installations in the San Antonio, Texas. It’s one of the largest U.S. installations.

Camp Pendleton

Camp Pendleton is in Oceanside, California. It is the primary West Coast installment for the U.S. Marine Corps. It’s also the largest USMC installment.

Westover Air Reserve Base

Westover Air Reserve Base is located in southern Massachusetts, near the town of Chicopee. It is the largest Air Force Reserve base in the U.S.

Aberdeen Proving Ground

Aberdeen Proving Ground is a U.S. Army Garrison in Maryland. Established in 1917, the modern-day purpose of the installation is testing defense systems.

Offutt Air Force Base

Offutt Air Force Base is located just south of Omaha, Nebraska and is vital to U.S. National defense, housing the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM)

Defense Supply Center Columbus

Defense Supply Center Columbus is near Columbus, Ohio in the town of Whitehall. It’s a primary inventory control point for the Defense Logistics Agency.

Peterson Space Force Base

Peterson Space Force Base is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado and is the home of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

Naval Support Activity Orlando

Naval Support Activity is located in Orlando, Florida offers services to all Department of Defense agencies, and helps with disaster preparedness in the area.

Naval Station Newport

Naval Station Newport is in Rhode Island, and is home to the Naval War College, and the Naval Justice School. It also houses inactive ships.

Naval Support Activity Crane

Naval Support Activity Crane in Indiana, is the third largest naval installation in the world. It’s home to the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division.

Redstone Arsenal

Redstone Arsenal, Alabama is a major U.S. Army Garrison key to the nation’s missile program. It also is a key player in missile defense operations, and NASA.

Fort Riley

Fort Riley is a U.S. Army Garrison located in north central Kansas. It’s home to the 1st Infantry Division, and serves as a combat training installment.

Fort Devens

Fort Devens is an historic U.S. Army Reserve installation nearby Devens, Massachusetts. Several military units call the fort home.

Naval Air Station Whidbey Island

Naval Air Station Whidbey Island is in Oak Harbor, Washington. It houses a range of U.S. Navy aircraft as well as 20 active duty U.S. Navy squadrons.

Hunter Army Airfield

Hunter Army Airfield (HAAF) is a U.S. Army airfield located in Savannah, Georgia. It is currently the home of 3rd Infantry Division’s aviation units.

Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station

Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station is just south of Colorado Springs, Colorado and now operates the U.S. Space Command’s Missile Warning Center.

Rock Island Arsenal

Rock Island Arsenal is in Rock Island, Illinois. It’s an island along the Mississippi River and is the largest government-owned weapons manufacturing arsenal.

Marine Corps Air Station Yuma

Marine Corps Air Station Yuma is an installment in southern Arizona. It offers aerial weapons training for Atlantic and Pacific Fleet Marine Forces and Navy.

Arnold Air Force Base

Arnold Air Force Base, Tennessee is a recently reopened base aimed at assisting national defense and providing services for several aerospace programs.

McAlester Army Ammunition Plant

McAlester Army Ammunition Plant is in southern Oklahoma, near the town of McAlester. It’s primary goal is weapon manufacturing for the Department of Defense.

Naval Air Station Patuxent River

Naval Air Station Patuxent River is in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. It houses the Naval Air Systems Command and is hub for aviation research and development.

March Air Reserve Base

March Air Reserve Base is located near Riverside, California. It is a key facility for the reserve units of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.

Moody Air Force Base

Moody Air Force Base is just outside of Valdosta in southern Georgia. A main goal of base operations is coordinating air and space support with ground combat.

Vandenberg Space Force Base

Vandenberg Space Force Base is in Santa Barbara County, California. It specializes in missile testing and assists NASA and SpaceX in aerospace launches.

Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri

Whiteman Air Force Base is in central Missouri, and houses the B-2 Spirit bomber, vital for the U.S. Air Force’s strategic nuclear combat operations.

Dugway Proving Ground

Dugway Proving Ground is a U.S. Army facility in central Utah. A main purpose of the facility is to test biological and chemical weapon defense systems.

Hanscom Air Force Base

Hanscom Air Force Base is in Bedford, Massachusetts. It is a defense-research facility, boasts two flight schools and a general aviation airport.

Naval Air Station Kingsville

Naval Air Station Kingsville is just east of Kingsville, Texas. It’s known as one of the U.S. Navy’s best locations for jet aviation training.

Hart-Dole-Inouye Federal Center

The Hart–Dole–Inouye Federal Center is in Battle Creek, Michigan with its main purpose today aiding the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA)

Dover Air Force Base

Dover Air Force Base is located in Dover, Delaware. It’s home to the 436th Airlift Wing, which runs the largest air freight terminal in Department of Defense.

Beale Air Force Base

Beale Air Force Base is near Marysville, California. The base houses the 9th Reconnaissance Wing and plays a critical role in national defense.

Grand Forks Air Force Base

Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota plays a key role in the military’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance using remotely piloted aircraft

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California, is the largest Master Jet Air Station globally, and helps with Indo-Pacific Command operations.

Davis Monthan Air Force Base

Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson Arizona, houses the 355th Wing, and is known for storing or repairing equipment at its often-mentioned aircraft boneyard

Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow

Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow is in Barstow, California. Located near I-15, I-40 and Highway 58, it’s a crucial supply and maintenance installation.

Minot Air Force Base

Minot Air Force Base is just outside of Minot, North Dakota, and is key to the maintenance and operation of the B-52H bombers and Minuteman III nuclear missiles

Red River Army Depot

The Red River Army Depot is in Bowie County, Texas. The installment is on more than 15,000 acres and is known for its maintenance on ground combat vehicles.

Yuma Proving Ground

Yuma Proving Ground is a military base located in Southern Arizona. It’s main purpose is testing military equipment in extreme weather locations.

Anniston Army Depot

The Anniston Army Depot is in Bynum, Alabama. The depot is a main location for ground vehicle repairs, often called “The Tank Rebuild Center of the World”

Vance Air Force Base

Vance Air Force Base is in Enid, Oklahoma and operates as a training facility for pilots for the US Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines as well as for US Allies

Naval Air Station Fallon

Naval Air Station Fallon is located in western Nevada. It is the home of the Navy Fighter Weapons School, or TOPGUN, making it a pivotal training facility.

Naval Air Station Everett

Naval Air Station Everett is 25 miles north of Seattle, Washington. It’s a homeport for a US Navy carrier strike group and 7 guided-missile Destroyers.

Naval Base Kitsap

Naval Base Kitsap is located in Bremerton, Washington on the Kitsap Peninsula. It’s one of two Trident submarine bases operated by the U.S. Navy.

Los Angeles Air Force Base

Los Angeles Air Force Base is a United States Space Force base in El Segundo, California, and is the headquarters of the USSF Space Systems Command (SSC)

Buckley Space Force Base

Buckley Space Force Base in Colorado is in the city of Aurora. It became a Space Force Base in 2021, and provides support for missile warning forces.

Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay

Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay is in Camden County, Georgia, and is the home port for the U.S. Navy’s Atlantic Fleet ballistic missile nuclear submarines.

Hill Air Force Base

Hill Air Force Base, Utah is about 30 miles north of Salt Lake City and is the home of the Air Force Materiel Command’s Ogden Air Logistics Complex.

USAG Fort Wainwright

USAG Fort Wainwright is located in Fairbanks, Alaska. It’s the largest U.S. Military installment by area outside the adjacent United States at 1.6 million acres

Nellis Air Force Base

Nellis AFB, Nevada is located just north of Las Vegas and is known for housing the USAF Warfare Center and the Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team.

Fort Leavenworth

Fort Leavenworth, Kansas is an U.S. Army installment, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas. It’s the second oldest active U.S. Army Post west of Washington, D.C.

Military Bases and Installations

As a service member in the United States Armed Forces, the term ‘Permanent Change of Station’ or PCS is more than just a familiar phrase—it’s a defining aspect of military life. Each PCS move comes with a whirlwind of logistics, from finding a new home and enrolling children in new schools to the simple yet […]

Fort Jackson

Fort Jackson, South Carolina is an Army Training Center. This is the Army’s main Basic Combat Training site; roughly half of all new recruits come to Fort Jackson for their initial Army training. Fort Jackson is located in the capital city, Columbia, South Carolina, and sits on a sprawling 53,000-acre area. Find information about Fort […]

Fort Stewart, Georgia

Fort Stewart is described as a “world-class training, and military armored power projection combination” located in Hinesville, Georgia about 40 minutes from Savannah. The fort is said to be the largest Army installation east of the Mississippi River. Find information about Fort Stewart including the main commercial and DSN numbers for the base, information on […]

Fort Sill, Oklahoma

Fort Sill is home to the oldest continuously operating airfield in U.S. Army history. Located in Oklahoma 85 miles away from Oklahoma City, the fort has a rich legacy of Army history stretching back to the 1800s. On any given day, there are roughly nine thousand trainees at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, attending basic training, advanced […]

Raven Rock Mountain Complex

The Raven Rock Mountain Complex (RRMC) is a highly restricted military installation complete with an underground nuclear bunker. Located in Pennsylvania, RRMC is part of a continuity-of-government plan incorporating remotely-located, hardened and secured facilities that could be used to run military operations and even the entire country in the event of a national emergency such […]

Fort Polk

Fort Polk, Louisiana is an Army base in Vernon Parish near Leesville, Louisiana, and home to the U.S. Army Joint Readiness Training Center. The fort is ten miles east of Leesville, and thirty miles north of DeRidder. It is the home of the Joint Readiness Training Center. Find information about Fort Polk, Louisiana including the […]

Fort Campbell

Fort Campbell is a U.S. Army installation in Kentucky on the border of Tennessee. Fort Campbell is the home of the 101st Airborne Division and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. The 101st is famous in the area for its full-time parachute team, the “Screaming Eagles.” Fort Campbell is the training and development center for […]

Fort Knox

Fort Knox, Kentucky is an Army base with more than one hundred thousand acres stretching across three counties. Fort Knox is approximately 35 miles south of Louisville, KY, and is the sixth largest community in the entire commonwealth of Kentucky. There is a large military community here including a sizable retiree population. Find information about […]

Fort Leonard Wood

Fort Leonard Wood trains soldiers in a variety of disciplines, operating the U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear School, U.S. Army Engineer School, and U.S. Army Military Police School. Located in Pulaski County, Missouri, the Fort has been operating for more than 75 years. The nearest airport, Waynesville-St. Robert Regional Airport, is approximately three […]

Fort Lee Information

In 2017, Fort Lee, Virginia celebrated its centennial-one hundred years of serving America and operating in the Tri-Cities area of Virginia. Fort Lee is located near Petersburg, Hopewell, and Colonial Heights. The post has a daytime population of well over 27 thousand and trains more than 70 thousand soldiers annually, serving as one of the […]

Fort Carson Information

Fort Carson, Colorado, is the Army installation known as “The Mountain Post”. Located in the Colorado Springs area, this fort is one of several important military bases and operations in the region including Peterson Air Force Base, NORAD, and the U.S. Air Force Academy. Fort Carson was built during World War Two, making it one […]

The United States Army Recruiting Command (USAREC)

The USAREC is in charge of identifying and choosing potential candidates for the active-duty Army, Army Reserve, or Army National Guard. USAREC is responsible for identifying qualified individuals who meet the Army’s criteria and possess the required abilities to fulfill diverse positions within the Army. USAREC encompasses 7 recruiting battalions, which are currently divided into […]

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