The United States will soon announce the locations of new bases it plans to build in the Philippines, part of its effort to further assert itself in the midst of escalating tensions with China in the South China Sea. The new bases will become part of the most expansive network of military installations in the world. There are approximately 750 U.S. military bases around the world. While there are nearly 160,000 active duty U.S. military personnel deployed abroad and on ships at sea, the vast majority of American troops are stationed at bases within the United States.
There are hundreds of military bases across the 50 states and Washington D.C., home to nearly 1.2 million active-duty service members and their families, according to the Department of Defense’s report Demographics Profile of the Military Community. These domestic military installations vary considerably in personnel capacity, and many of them have populations equivalent to that of a mid-size city. (Here is a look at America’s 25 military cities.)
Using DoD military demographics data for 2019 – the most recent year of comprehensive data by base – 24/7 Wall St. identified America’s largest military bases. For the purposes of this story, only bases housing active-duty military personnel for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and DoD were considered.
The number of active-duty military personnel stationed at the 26 military installations on this last ranges from just over 10,000 to nearly 50,000. Including military family members, some of the bases on this list have populations exceeding 100,000.
The Army is the largest branch of the U.S. military by headcount, and the majority of bases on this list are Army bases. Five bases on this list are under the purview of the U.S. Navy, including the largest naval complex in the world. Meanwhile, the Air Force and Marine Corps have two bases with over 10,000 active duty service members each.
Many of the bases on this list will be familiar to military men and women and their families, as they serve as basic training sites. The Army uses Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Jackson, South Carolina; Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; and Fort Sill, Oklahoma, for boot camp, and each ranks among the largest bases in the country. Boot camp locations for the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps also appear on this list. (Here is a look at what it takes to be in 16 of America’s elite military forces.)
Other bases – including several bases larger than those used for basic training – serve a variety of functions, including operational support, maintaining deployment-ready forces, and continued advanced training.
Click here to see America’s largest military bases.
26. Nellis AFB, Nevada
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 10,168 (89.2% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 21,937
> Service branch: Air Force
> Location: 8 miles from Las Vegas
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25. Naval Base Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 10,222 (21.5% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 21,697
> Service branch: Navy
> Location: 6 miles from Honolulu
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24. Mayport NAVSTA, Florida
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 10,442 (15.7% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 25,013
> Service branch: Navy
> Location: 10 miles from Jacksonville
23. Fort Sam Houston, Texas
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 10,721 (8.8% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 25,655
> Service branch: Army
> Location: San Antonio
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22. Fort George G. Meade, Maryland
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 11,140 (39.8% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 26,041
> Service branch: Army
> Location: 15 miles from Baltimore
21. Fort Gordon, Georgia
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 11,220 (16.5% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 25,636
> Service branch: Army
> Location: 12 miles from Augusta
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20. Fort Jackson, South Carolina
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 11,545 (28.4% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 20,589
> Service branch: Army
> Location: Columbia
19. Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 12,218 (72.3% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 23,479
> Service branch: Army
> Location: 85 miles from Springfield
18. Fort Sill, Oklahoma
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 13,310 (59.2% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 26,189
> Service branch: Army
> Location: 90 miles from Oklahoma City
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17. Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 15,057 (31.7% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 34,022
> Service branch: Army
> Location: 20 miles from Honolulu
16. Fort Drum, New York
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 15,195 (74.7% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 32,011
> Service branch: Army
> Location: 8 miles from Watertown
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15. Fort Riley, Kansas
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 15,214 (69.8% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 33,295
> Service branch: Army
> Location: 50 miles from Topeka
14. Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 15,726 (72.8% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 21,875
> Service branch: Navy
> Location: 30 miles from Chicago
13. Fort Stewart, Georgia
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 19,476 (28.6% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 45,302
> Service branch: Army
> Location: 35 miles from Savannah
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12. Lackland AFB, Texas
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 22,220 (18.2% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 42,521
> Service branch: Air Force
> Location: 5 miles from San Antonio
11. Fort Benning, Georgia
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 24,305 (35.7% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 46,785
> Service branch: Army
> Location: 5 miles from Columbus
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10. Fort Carson, Colorado
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 24,520 (68.4% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 57,473
> Service branch: Army
> Location: 6 miles from Colorado Springs
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9. Fort Bliss, Texas
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 26,100 (21.3% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 60,307
> Service branch: Army
> Location: El Paso
8. Fort Lewis, Washington
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 26,512 (44.6% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 62,831
> Service branch: Army
> Location: 12 miles from Tacoma
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7. Fort Campbell, Kentucky
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 26,824 (83.1% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 62,977
> Service branch: Army
> Location: 50 miles from Nashville
6. San Diego NAVSTA, California
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 32,983 (20.0% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 66,557
> Service branch: Navy
> Location: San Diego
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5. Fort Hood, Texas
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 36,697 (30.0% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 83,815
> Service branch: Army
> Location: Killeen
4. Camp Lejeune MCB, North Carolina
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 38,706 (37.1% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 72,106
> Service branch: Marine Corps
> Location: 3 miles from Jacksonville
3. Camp Pendleton, California
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 39,690 (24.0% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 70,700
> Service branch: Marine Corps
> Location: 35 miles from San Diego
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2. Fort Bragg, North Carolina
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 45,055 (43.2% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 109,101
> Service branch: Army
> Location: 10 miles from Fayetteville
1. Norfolk Naval Base, Virginia
> Active-duty personnel stationed at base: 47,368 (37.5% of mil. personnel in state)
> All personnel assigned to base, incl. military family members: 100,893
> Service branch: Navy
> Location: Norfolk
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