New Jersey Military Bases

New Jersey military bases help guard the East coast and support our nations overall defense. New Jersey is a state rich in culture and military history.

Map of Military Bases in New Jersey

New Jersey Military Bases

Fort Dix

Fort Dix is an Air Force base that was established in 1917. It was originally known as Camp Dix, named after John Adams Dix, a soldier who fought in both the War of 1812 and the Civil War. The base was used to train soldiers during World War I. After the war, the base was shut down and used as a civilian training site instead. Camp Dix was reopened right before World War II and named Fort Dix. During World War II, the mission of the base was the same as it was during World War I: training soldiers. After World War II, Fort Dix became a basic training camp.

During the Vietnam War, a model of a Vietnamese village was built on the Fort to train soldiers for the new environment before they were sent to Vietnam. In the 1990s, Kuwaiti civilians traveled to Fort Dix to be trained for combat in the Kuwaiti Civil War. The fort has continued to train soldiers for combat in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Bosnia. Today, the base is part of the Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst, and the permanent unit on the base is the 87th Air Base Wing.

Picatinny Arsenal

The Picatinny Arsenal is an Army base that was established during the Civil War. In 1880, all of the weapon depots were primarily in the southern part of the country and were taken over by the Confederate states. The Union decided it needed more arsenals, so they built the Picatinny Arsenal. In 1911, a school was built on the base to host weaponry sciences training for soldiers. During both World Wars, it was responsible for researching and improving explosives.

 

The Picatinny Arsenal is known for inventing the tactical rail, also called the Picatinny Rail, which is an advanced weapon mounting system. The base was awarded the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2007, and it has been a key base in supplying ammunition during the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. Today, the primary mission of the Picatinny Arsenal is researching and building weapons.

NWS Earle

Naval Weapons Stations Earle was established in 1943 in an ideal place for an ammunition’s depot because it is far away from highly populated areas. The base was named after Ralph Earle, a U.S. Navy leader who served as director of the Ordnance Bureau during World War I.

Today, one of the most prominent places on the base is a pier that ensures safe loading and unloading of explosives and other weapons. The main mission of the NWS Earle is to store, repair, develop and maintain the Navy’s advanced weapons.

NAES Lakehurst

Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst was established as Camp Kendrick in 1917. It originally belonged to the Army, but in 1921, operation of the base was transferred to the Navy. In 1937, it was the site of the Hindenburg disaster when a German airship caught fire and was destroyed after a failed docking attempt, killing 36 people. In 2005, the base merged with a couple of other bases in New Jersey and became part of the Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst.

Coast Guard Stations in New Jersey

New Jersey is home to 43 Coast Guard Stations. Of those 43 stations, only 9 are still active. The first Coast Guard Station that was established was the Coast Guard Station Sandy Hook, and it was established in 1848. It is a life-saving station with a long history, and it is still alive and well today. Some of the other active Coast Guard Stations are Station Beach Haven, Station Fortesque, Station Ocean City, and Station Townsend Inlet.