Fort Jackson  In-depth Overview

Fort Jackson trains and develops Soldiers in order to build readiness at scale for our Army and provides a community where our Soldiers, Army Civilians, and Families have every opportunity to excel.

Fort Jackson, adjacent to Columbia, S.C. is a 53,000 acre U.S. Army Training Center. Named for President Andrew Jackson-- a South Carolina native -- it was originally established in 1917 when it trained men of the 30th and 81st Infantry Divisions. Between 1925 and 1940 it served as an encampment and training area for the S.C. National Guard. It became a permanent Army garrison in 1940 and lost its former name of Camp Jackson. After World War II Ft. Jackson became a replacement training center. During the Korean War, the 8th and 31st Infantry Divisions trained here. In 1973, Fort Jackson was appointed as a U.S. Army Training Center, and since 1995, Fort Jackson is home to new training facilities and schools; including the U.S. Army Soldier Support Institute, the Department of Defense Chaplain Center and School, and the Defense Academy for Credibility Assessment. Today, Fort Jackson is the biggest and most active Initial Entry Training center in the entire U.S Army training 50 percent of all Soldiers and 60 percent of the women entering the Army each year.

The Birth of Camp Jackson

The United States declared war on Germany April 7, 1917 and on May 24, 1917, Congress passed War Bulletin Number 32 which authorized the President to increase the American military. On May 19, 1917, Columbia, SC was designated as a site for one of the new Army divisional training camps and  by June 2, 1917 the War Department granted final approval for the location of an Army training center in Columbia, SC, and construction began on Camp Jackson.

For the construction of the new Army cantonments, speed was the priority.

In the first phase of construction from June to December 1917, more than 1500 buildings were completed and over the next year another 550 buildings would be added to the camp. Camp Jackson's original building inventory included 119 Officer's quarters, 402 Enlisted barracks, 403 lavatories, 35 additional mess halls, 189 stables, 26 support administrative buildings, 13 post exchanges, 12 guard houses, 51 store houses, 16 shops, 3 garages, 102 sheds, 4 magazines, 7 civic buildings, 3 fire stations, a post office, a laundry building, a bakery, a telephone/telegraph building, a sewage disposal building, and a base hospital with more than 60 buildings. In addition to the buildings, the construction of Camp Jackson included the installation of a water supply and distribution system, a sewage system, an electrical system, telephone/telegraph lines, roads and railroad tracks.

For more information, go the Fort Jackson homepage.

• 3,500 Permanent Party Soldiers and their 12,000 Family Members 
• 48,000 Initial Entry Training Soldiers
• 12,000 Advanced Individual Training Soldiers
• 3,500 Civilians Employees 
• 10,000 Students attending courses annually 
• 46,000 Retirees and Family Members

Columbia is the capital and second-largest city of the U.S. state of South Carolina, with a population estimate of 131,674 as of 2019. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County.  It is the center of the Columbia metropolitan statistical area, which had a population of 767,598 as of the 2010 United States Census, growing to 832,666 by July 1, 2018, according to 2018 U.S. Census estimates. This makes it the 70th-largest metropolitan statistical area in the nation, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau as of July 1, 2018. The name Columbia is a poetic term used for the United States, originating from the name of Christopher Columbus.  The city is located about 13 miles (21 km) northwest of the geographic center of South Carolina, and is the primary city of the Midlands region of the state. It lies at the confluence of the Saluda River and Broad River, which merge at Columbia to form the Congaree River.  Columbia is home to the University of South Carolina, the state's flagship university and the largest in the state, and is also the site of Fort Jackson, the largest United States Army installation for Basic Combat Training. Columbia is also located 20 miles west of the site of McEntire Joint National Guard Base, which is operated by the U.S. Air Force and is used as a training base for the 169th Fighter Wing of the South Carolina Air National Guard. Columbia is also the location of the South Carolina State House, which is the center of government for the state. In 1860, the city was the location of the South Carolina Secession Convention, which marked the departure of the first state from the Union in the events leading up to the Civil War.

Fort Jackson is located in the city of Columbia, SC, which is the state capitol. A metropolitan region with a population estimate of 133,451 as of 2018, Columbia offers a diversity of experiences and attractions. Columbia displays its patriotism proudly and is proud to be the home of Fort Jackson, the largest and most active Initial Entry Training Center in the U.S. Army. The Fort Jackson/Columbia area is a moderate cost-of-living area. The base operator's phone number is 803-751-7511 or DSN 312-734-7511.

Directions from Airport

Exit airport, take I-26 East (toward Charleston); take I-77 North; exit at Exit 12 onto Strom Thurmond Blvd. All Soldiers are required to in-process in Room 200 of the Strom Thurmond Bldg. The Strom Thurmond Bldg. is located at 5450 Strom Thurmond Blvd.

To in-process Fort Jackson, all permanent party Soldiers are to report to Room 200, 5450 Strom Thurmond Boulevard, during the hours of operation of 0730-1700, Monday thru Friday. (NOTE: The in-processing office is closed on Federal holidays and 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month from 1330-1700.) All incoming permanent party Soldiers that report after normal duty hours are to report to the IHG Army Hotel/Welcome Center, located at 7550 Benning Road to sign in to Fort Jackson.

Recommend taking a taxi cab from Airport to Base.

Arriving on I-26 from the West

Take I-20 east; proceed to I-77 South (Careful not to be diverted to I-77 North); once on I-77 South proceed to Exit 12; proceed onto Ft. Jackson to Strom Thurmond Bldg. or Welcome Center as described above.

Arriving I-26 from East

Take I-77 north to Exit 12; then onto Ft. Jackson to Strom Thurmond Bldg. or Welcome Center as described in paragraph above.

Arriving on I-20 from East

Take I-77 south to exit 12, then to Strom Thurmond Bldg. or Welcome Center, as described in above paragraph.

From bus or train station, have taxi enter by Gate 2, (exit 12) off I-77, Forest Drive gate, then proceed as above.

Currently, there is no base transportation on this installation. However, taxicabs are authorized to transport Soldiers and Family Members on and off post; no ride share, i.e., Uber, Lyft etc.

The number for base information is 803-751-7511 or DSN 312-734-7511.