Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center | |
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Part of Arkansas National Guard United States Army Reserve | |
Fort Smith, Arkansas | |
Coordinates | 35°16′12″N 94°12′07″W / 35.270°N 94.202°W |
Type | National Guard Training Camp |
Site information | |
Owner | Arkansas |
Controlled by | Arkansas National Guard |
Open to the public | Prior Permission needed |
Site history | |
Built | 1941 |
Built by | United States Army |
In use | 1941-Present |
Battles/wars | World War II, Cold War |
Garrison information | |
Occupants | U.S. Army, Arkansas National Guard |
Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center, also known as Fort Chaffee, is an Arkansas Army National Guard installation located in western Arkansas, adjacent to the city of Fort Smith. Established as Camp Chaffee in 1941, renamed to Fort Chaffee in 1956, it has served as a U.S. Army base, training camp, prisoner-of-war camp, and refugee camp. The fort was realigned following the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission round. Since that time, the Arkansas National Guard has been using 66,000 acres (270 km2) as a training facility. The State of Arkansas received 6,000 acres (24 km2), about half of which have been redeveloped as of 2014. The main environmental concern has been asbestos, released during various fires.