Fort Dix was an early casualty of the first BRAC in 1988, losing the basic-training mission that had introduced generations of soldiers to military life since 1917. But Fort Dix advocates attracted Army Reserve interest in keeping the 31,000-acre post as a training reservation. With the reserve get millions for improvements, Fort Dix actually has grown again to employ 3,000. As many as 15,000 troops train there on weekends, and the post has been a major mobilization point for reserve and National Guard troops since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.

Fort Dix has completed its realignment from an individual training center to a FORSCOM Power Projection Platform for the Northeastern United States under the command and control of the U.S. Army Reserve Command. Primary missions include being a center of excellence for training, mobilizing and deploying Army Reserve and National Guard units, providing regional base operations support to on-post and off-post active and reserve component units of all services, and providing a high-quality community environment, including 848 housing units, for service members and their families. Fort Dix supported more than 1.1 million mandays of training in 1998. A daily average of more than 13,500 persons live or work within the garrison and its tenant organizations. Fort Dix sub-installations include the Charles E. Kelly Support Facility in Oakdale, PA and the Devens Reserve Forces Training Area in Devens, MA.

Fort Dix is located in Pemberton Township, Burlington County, New Jersey. The installation covers 31,110 acres and contains built-up areas (cantonment, hospital, housing, administrative buildings, etc.), training areas, and a test range. Fort Dix's mission is to provide supervision, training, guidance, financial management, administrative and logistical support, and other services and support activities.

With more than 31,065 acres of land in southern New Jersey, Fort Dix can serve a wide variety of units simultaneously. Location also plays a key role in the post's continued importance as a Power Projection Platform. Fort Dix is located in the center of air, road and rail networks. Fort Dix is located about 17 miles southeast of New Jersey's capital, Trenton. Fort Dix shares a fence line with McGuire Air Force Base and the Naval Air Engineering Station in Lakehurst, NJ. With McGuire Air Force Base right next door and top-notch facilities just up the road in Bayonne, Fort Dix has always been an obvious choice for deploying soldiers and equipment to any theater of operations. Location also draws many key customer groups. More than a quarter of the nation's U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard units are stationed within a 200 mile radius of Fort Dix. Modern facilities and rapid check-in, check-out service draw units from as far away as Ohio to train on post.

Fort Dix (originally Camp Dix) is named for Major General John Adams Dix. During his distinguished public career, he was a United States Senator, Secretary of the Treasury, Minister to France and Governor of New York.

Construction began in June 1917, and on July 18 the War Department named the cantonment Camp Dix. During World War I, Camp Dix was a training and staging ground for the 78th, 87th and 34th Divisions, troops headed for battle. Camp Dix grew quickly and became the largest military reservation in the Northeast. Following the armistice, the camp became a demobilization center.

During the period between the wars, Camp Dix was a training facility for active Army, Army Reserve and National Guard units. The Citizens? Military Training Camp conducted summer training under the 1st, 77th, 78th and 99th Infantry Divisions. From 1933-1941, Camp Dix was also a reception, training and discharge center for the Civilian Conservation Corps. On 8 March 1939, Camp Dix became Fort Dix as the installation became a permanent Army post. Fort Dix served as a reception and training center for men inducted under the draft of 1939. Ten divisions and many smaller units trained and staged here before entering the battlefields of World War II. At the end of the war, the reception center became the separation center, returning more than 1.2 million soldiers to civilian life.

On 15 July 1947, Fort Dix became a basic training center and the home of the 9th Infantry Division. In April 1954, the 9th Division was transferred to Europe and the 69th Infantry Division moved onto Fort Dix. The 69th Division?s stay was short-lived; it was deactivated on 16 March 1956. On that date, Fort Dix became the United States Army Training Center, Infantry.

Fort Dix expanded rapidly during the Vietnam war. A mock Vietnam village was constructed and soldiers received Vietnam specific training before going overseas. In July 1973, Fort Dix became a part of the newly formed US Army Training and Doctrine Command. In 1988 Fort Dix began to train Air Force Security Police in ground combat skills. Air Base Ground Defense Command trained enlisted, NCO and officer security police to better defend Air Force installations around the world.

In August 1990, Fort Dix began around-the-clock operations deploying troops for Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In January 1991, Fort Dix was chosen to train selected Kuwaiti civilians in basic military skills. After a brief course, they boarded planes to take part in the liberation of their country. As a result of Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations of 1988, Fort Dix again ended its active Army training mission.

On 1 October 1992, Fort Dix transferred from Training and Doctrine Command to Forces Command, and was made a Reserve Training Base, serving as a Training, Mobilization and Deployment Center. In December 1995, Fort Dix began mobilizing and deploying troops for the Bosnia Peace Missions.

On 1 October 1997, Fort Dix transferred from Forces Command to the United States Army Reserve Command.

The New Jersey guard began moving more of its equipment home from Fort Drum several years ago to save training costs and take advantage of more available space at Fort Dix. The 31,000-acre military reservation in the Pinelands was formerly an Army basic-training center, until the first round of base closings in 1988 consolidated training at other bases. Now controlled by the Army Reserve, Fort Dix can serve up to 15,000 guard and reserve soldiers at a time during training sessions.