Doc Jargon explains camp, post, base

Photo By Kaitlin Knauer | Doc Jargon, cutting through the jargon that is the U.S. Army. Send your Army terminology questions to [e-mail] This column features how to take care of money matters using free resources provided by the Army.  

KS, UNITED STATES

05.23.2022

Story by Collen McGee 

Fort Riley Public Affairs Office

Confused on posting at base camp

Dear Doc Jargon,

My husband and I are new here and we are a retired Air Force family. We live nearby but do a lot of our shopping at the commissary and The Exchange. I’m curious about the differences between how military installations are named. Having been around the Air Force, I know the difference between an Air Force base and an air base – the Air Force base is usually in the continental U.S. and the air base is usually overseas. But what is the difference between a camp, a fort and a post?

Sincerely,

Newly Posted

Dear Posted,

You have a good question and it made me do some digging. Let’s start by giving some definition and history to the terms that define Army installations.
A fort, originally short for fortification, was first designed to be just that – a defensible stronghold. The earliest American versions of them were in Colonial America. Our founding fathers knew settlers could not defend themselves individually, but within the confines of these fortified structures they would unite and protect lives and livestock.
A camp, was considered a temporary housing for military personnel and a place to store artillery. They were training locations and our country established many of these during both World Wars. If you take a drive on Fort Riley east toward the Ogden gate, you will pass through what was Camp Funston. This location acted as a housing, training and staging area for WWI and several historic markers are accessible.
A post is where the headquarters ele¬ment of a fighting force calls home. Much like the relationship between Fort Riley and the 1st Infantry Division, the Soldiers of the “Big Red One” call it home. A post can be called a fort, a base or even an in¬stallation. It is a permanent location that operates a lot like a city or town and has a police force, a fire department and a garri¬son commander who serves much like the mayor. The personnel who work for the post will oversee the infrastructure of the living and working environment within its gates.
I hope the various definitions are clear and that you and your husband enjoy your time at Fort Riley and come to consider this post as your hometown while here.

Sincerely,

Doc Jargon

Doc Jargon, cutting through the jargon that is the U.S. Army. Send your Army terminology questions to [e-mail]

• Date Taken: 05.23.2022
• Date Posted: 05.23.2022 18:15
• Story ID: 421338
• Location: KS, US