Fort Eustis, located in Newport News, Virginia, was established in 1918, and has a rich history dating back to the beginning of American colonial history. March 2018 marked the centennial of the establishment of Fort Eustis, which has served a number of purposes, including an Army training facility for artillery and artillery observation, a prison and a work camp. Beginning in the World War II era, the primary mission of Fort Eustis has been Army transportation training, research and development, engineering, and operations, including aviation and marine shipping activities.
Fort Eustis has a history dating back thousands of years as Mulberry Island, which was home to Native Americans before the English came and settled the area in 1618. First established in 1918 as Camp Eustis, the installation has served a number of purposes, including as a U.S. Army training facility for artillery and artillery observation during World War I, a prison and a work camp.
Since the World War II era, Fort Eustis' primary mission has been Army transportation: training, research and development, engineering and operations, including aviation and marine-shipping activities. It supports more than 6,300 service members, 2,600 Department of Defense civilian employees, and 10,900 military family members. The installation encompasses more than 7,800 acres with nearly 25 miles of railway and one active military seaport. Fort Eustis is also home to the Army 's Training and Doctrine Command.
The 2005 Base Realignment, Allocation and Closure (BRAC) Act resulted in the greatest change in the look of Fort Eustis by relocating the Army Transportation School headquarters to Fort Lee in 2010. The Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Headquarters replaced it in 2011. The BRAC decision consolidated adjoining bases of different services, referred to as joint basing. As a result, Fort Eustis and Langley Air Force Base were consolidated under the responsibility of the Air Force 633rd Air Base Wing as Joint Base Langley-Eustis in 2010.
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