Fort Chaffee Maneuver Training Center
| Company type | Military installation |
|---|---|
| Industry | Military training |
| Predecessor | Camp Chaffee |
| Founded | 1941 |
| Founder | United States Army |
| Fate | Portions retained by Arkansas National Guard; remainder redeveloped by State of Arkansas |
| Successor | Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center (Arkansas Army National Guard) |
| Headquarters | Near Fort Smith and Barling, Arkansas , United States |
Area served | Arkansas, United States |
| Products | Military training facilities and services |
| Owner | United States Army National Guard (Arkansas) |
| Parent | Arkansas Army National Guard |
Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center, commonly referred to as Fort Chaffee, is an installation operated by the Arkansas Army National Guard situated near Fort Smith, Arkansas. Originally established as Camp Chaffee in 1941, it was redesignated Fort Chaffee in 1956. Throughout its history, it has functioned as a U.S. Army base, a training facility, a prisoner-of-war camp, and a refugee processing site. Following the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission decisions, the Arkansas National Guard retained portions of the site for training purposes, while the State of Arkansas acquired other sections, with half of that land having undergone redevelopment by 2014. Environmental issues have centered primarily on asbestos contamination resulting from previous fires.
Location
Situated just outside the cities of Fort Smith, Arkansas and Barling, Arkansas, Fort Chaffee lies along Arkansas Highway 22, approximately southeast of Fort Smith Regional Airport. The northern boundary is formed by the Arkansas River, with Interstate 40 located roughly north across the river.
History
The facility was named in honor of Major General Adna R. Chaffee Jr., a pioneer in advocating armored warfare. Groundbreaking for Camp Chaffee occurred on September 20, 1941, as part of the U.S. Army’s pre-World War II expansion efforts. The government purchased from 712 landowners at a total cost of $1.35 million (in 1941 dollars). Construction took sixteen months to complete, and the first troops arrived on December 7, 1941. Official activation followed on March 27, 1942. During World War II, the camp trained the 6th, 14th, and 16th Armored Divisions and served as a detention site for approximately 3,000 German prisoners of war. The camp’s establishment contributed to economic growth in nearby Barling.
Between 1948 and 1957, it was home to the 5th Armored Division. The post was redesignated Fort Chaffee in 1956 to signify its permanent military status. Notably, Elvis Presley received his initial military haircut at this location in 1958. In 1959, the U.S. Army Field Artillery Training Center was relocated to Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
During the early 1960s Berlin Crisis, Fort Chaffee operated as a basic training center for new Army recruits, including activation of the 100th Kentucky Division which conducted eight-week basic and Advanced Infantry Training programs.
Fort Chaffee also functioned as a refugee processing center on three separate occasions: from 1975 to 1976 for more than 50,000 Vietnamese and Cambodian refugees following conflicts in Southeast Asia; in 1980 for approximately 19,000 Cuban refugees arriving during the Mariel boatlift—temporarily making it Arkansas’s eleventh largest city by population. Processing delays and rumors regarding released criminals among Cuban refugees triggered a riot on June 1 that resulted in property damage and injuries. Subsequently, federal troops were deployed and concertina wire was installed to secure the facility. This event had political repercussions during Arkansas’s 1980 gubernatorial race. Over two years following this unrest, Fort Chaffee processed over 25,000 Cuban refugees.
In 1987, the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) commenced operations at Fort Chaffee but transferred to Fort Polk in 1993. The Base Realignment and Closure Commission of 1995 recommended closing Fort Chaffee while preserving critical training areas for Reserve components. On September 28, 1995, it became a subinstallation under Fort Sill. The federal government declared surplus land available for state acquisition; however, portions were retained by the Arkansas National Guard.
Full command responsibility shifted to the Arkansas Army National Guard on September 27, 1997, when it was renamed the Chaffee Maneuver Training Center and later became known as the Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center. Until January 2014, the Arkansas Air National Guard utilized its Razorback Range at Fort Chaffee for A-10 aircraft training missions; control of Razorback Range reverted to Fort Chaffee in September 2017 following mission realignment.
On April 15, 2014, a $26 million Combined Arms Collective Training Facility was inaugurated at Fort Chaffee by the Arkansas National Guard. This facility comprises eighteen buildings designed to replicate urban settings with sophisticated surveillance technology aimed at enhancing realistic combat training exercises.
Redevelopment
The Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority was created in 1997 to manage the transformation of the land transferred to state control. This process included the demolition of more than 700 structures and the rezoning of the property. The authority is responsible for overseeing a variety of residential, commercial, and industrial developments within the area designated as Chaffee Crossing.
With much of the property transferred and a significantly reduced military presence, the Chaffee Maneuver Training Center transitioned into an open post. Security gatehouses were abandoned, fencing was removed, military police patrols ended, and emergency services responsibilities shifted to the city of Barling and state police forces. However, following the events of September 11, all U.S. Army installations were reclassified as closed posts, resulting in emergency services returning to military jurisdiction.
Construction of the Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center commenced on January 6, 2005. Later that year, Fort Chaffee accommodated over 10,000 evacuees from Hurricane Katrina by converting barracks for temporary housing. A significant number of these evacuees eventually settled in Fort Smith permanently, providing a modest boost to the local economy.
In September 2011, a cluster of 44 World War II-era barracks was added to the National Register of Historic Places. These buildings, erected in 1941-42 to house tank destroyer battalions, formed a historic district that was slightly enlarged in 2015.
By 2013, Chaffee Crossing had developed into a mixed-use area featuring a new shopping center with approximately 70 stores along Arkansas Highways 22 and 59, the establishment of the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine, expansion by Umarex, and several sizable residential projects. Manufacturing facilities operated by Graphic Packaging and Mars Petcare were also present. Meanwhile, a Mitsubishi wind turbine production plant remained idle due to changes in the wind energy sector, resulting in the loss of over 400 anticipated jobs.
In May 2014, ArcBest Corp revealed plans for a $30 million investment in a corporate office and data center at Fort Chaffee, with projections indicating the creation of 975 new positions by 2021.
As of 2014, roughly remained available for further development: around one-quarter designated for residential purposes, between 40% and 50% allocated for commercial and retail use, with the balance reserved for industrial projects.
In September 2017, after several extensions failed to lead to construction, the Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority reacquired land intended for the shopping center located at Highways 59 and 22.
Environmental contamination
The sole documented environmental hazard at Fort Chaffee involves asbestos exposure discovered during a fire incident in 2008.
Fires
On January 29, 2008, a combination of strong winds and an electrical brush fire caused damage or destruction to approximately 150 abandoned buildings.
A subsequent fire broke out on August 3, 2011, engulfing nearly 120 structures within the former medical complex spread over 90 acres and destroying its hospital. This event coincided with Fort Chaffee’s highest recorded temperature of 115°F. The cause was determined accidental and later traced to a cigarette carelessly discarded by a member of Kentucky’s National Guard from the 138th Fires Brigade.
Additionally, an office building sustained fire damage on June 20, 2014.
Other uses of Fort Chaffee
Fort Chaffee has been utilized as a filming location for several productions such as A Soldier's Story (1984), Biloxi Blues (1988), and The Tuskegee Airmen (1995), as well as featured in an episode of Ghost Adventures (2010).
The site also serves as a Department of Energy training facility. The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Secure Transportation (OST) runs its Transportation Safeguards Training Site here, offering an intensive 18-week Nuclear Material Courier Basic Academy. This program instructs federal agents in various disciplines including law enforcement techniques, physical security measures, firearms proficiency, convoy operations, physical fitness training, tractor-trailer driving skills, and legal protocols related to transporting nuclear materials.
See also
External links
- 1941 establishments in Arkansas
- Arkansas National Guard
- Buildings and structures in Sebastian County, Arkansas
- Cold War military installations of the United States
- Cuban refugees
- Forts in Arkansas
- Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Arkansas
- Installations of the United States Army National Guard
- Military installations established in 1941
- Military installations in Arkansas
- National Register of Historic Places in Sebastian County, Arkansas
- Training installations of the United States Army
- Vietnamese refugees
- World War II prisoner-of-war camps in the United States