Perkerson Civic Association

Fort McPherson Redevelopment

 

 

 

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Fort McPherson is a U.S. Army military base that is located in East Point, Georgia, on the southwest edge of the City of Atlanta, Ga. It is the home of the headquarters for the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, Southeast Region; the U.S. Army Forces Command; the U.S. Army Reserve Command; the U.S. Army Central Command and some other Army units.

Named after Major General James Birdseye McPherson, this fort was founded by the U.S. Army in September 1885. However, this site, had been in use by military units since 1835, and it was used as a Confederate Army base during the American Civil War. During the Reconstruction Era, it was named the "McPherson Barracks", and it served as a post for the Federal troops who were occupying Atlanta. With the end of Reconstruction, the McPherson Barracks was closed and sold off in 1881, though the site continued to be occupied during the summers by U.S. troops stationed in Florida. In 1885, the land was again purchased by the Army at which to station ten army companies.

During World War I, Fort McPherson was used as a camp for Imperial German Navy prisoners of war.

During the General Textile Workers Strike in 1934, this fort was used as a detention center to hold picketers who had been arrested while striking at a Newnan, Georgia, cotton mill.

Fort McPherson’s nearest Army neighbor, and its sub-post, is Fort Gillem, which is located in Forest Park, Georgia, not too far away. Fort Gillem is a logistical support base, housing some Army, Department of Defense, and other government agencies. Those units include the First Army, the U.S. Army and Air Force Exchange Distribution Center, the Military Entrance Processing Station, and the U.S. Army Second Recruiting Brigade. Fort Gillem also hosts the only crime lab of the U.S. Army. Fort McPherson and Fort Gillem share most common services.

In 2007, there were 2,453 active duty soldiers and 3,784 civilian employees at both forts, with a total active duty and civilian employee payroll of $529,874,972.

With only 102 family quarters and 272 single soldier billets at Fort McPherson, and 10 family quarters at Fort Gillem, the active duty military and Department of the Army civilian employees live in civilian housing in the surrounding Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton, Fayette, and Henry Counties.

Other important users of the fort facilities are the 98,700 or more Atlanta area military and naval retirees and their family members. These residents live mostly in Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Clayton, Fayette, Gwinnett, and Henry counties.

For urban mass transit, Ft. McPherson is mostly served by the Lakewood/Fort McPherson MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) station.

 

Base realignment and closure

As a result of the 2005 BRAC commission recommendation, Fort McPherson is scheduled to be closed down, and Fort Gillem to be reduced to a military enclave as of September 15, 2011.

The following units are scheduled to relocate from Fort McPherson: the Headquarters of the U.S. Army Forces Command and the Headquarters of the U.S. Army Reserve Command, will be moved to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The Headquarters, U.S. Army Central, will be moved to Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. The Installation Management Command, Southeast Region and the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command, Southeastern Region will be moved to Fort Eustis, Virginia. The Army Contracting Agency, Southern Region Office, will be moved to Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

The McPherson Planning Local Redevelopment Authority (MPLRA) is the community-based entity authorized by the secretary of defense to develop the vision and plan for what will become of Fort McPherson after the installation closes. The MPLRA is a multijurisdictional body representing the surrounding communities impacted by the installation closure. The comprehensive reuse plan that the MPLRA executive board approved on Sept. 11, 2007, includes the following elements:

• • An employment district approximately 115 acres (0.47 km²) in size that is envisioned as a knowledge-based biomedical research park. This research park would be anchored by state investment and contain Georgia University system components. It is ultimately planned to include approximately 2,400,000 square feet (223,000 m²) of office and lab space and more than 1,900 units of high-density residential space. The research park will be developed by a task force that includes the University System Board of Regents, local governmental entities and private partners.
  • A mixed-use, high-density retail area about 35 acres (140,000 m²) in size. This high-density area is seen as a “Main Street” development with a mid-rise residential area, a hotel, public plazas and street-level retail, restaurants, offices and grocery stores.
  • A historic district covering approximately 40 acres (160,000 m²). Most of the buildings in this area are already on the National Register of Historic Places. This district centers on the existing parade ground and is expected to be developed for mixed use, but with a historical cultural theme. Within the historic district, Staff Row would be preserved and used for single-family residential or other complementary uses.
  • Other areas will be home for up to 4,600 units of residential housing. Overall residential use will be a balanced mix of market rate, high-end housing, affordable housing and housing for the formerly homeless or families at risk of homelessness.
  • Approximately 150 acres (0.61 km²) would be set aside for green space. This would connect to the historic area to create a public-oriented Linear Park centerpiece that wraps around the entire property from the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) station on the north to the MARTA station on the south. Together with the residential districts, this green space will replace the area currently dominated by the golf course. The linear park will also include a space of approximately 30 acres (120,000 m²) to be used for special events and festivals.

The following Fort Gillem units are scheduled to relocate: Headquarters, First Army, to Rock Island Arsenal, Ill.; 2nd Recruiting Brigade to Redstone Arsenal, Ala.; the 52nd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group to Fort Campbell, Ky.; the 81st Regional Readiness Command Equipment Concentration Site to Fort Benning, Ga.; and the U.S. Army Central Headquarters support office to Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. The Army and Air Force Exchange Service Atlanta Distribution Center will cease operations and the Federal Emergency Management Agency will move off the installation.

Fort Gillem will maintain a contiguous enclave for the Georgia Army National Guard, the remainder of the 81st RRC units, the Criminal Investigation Division Forensics Laboratory and the Navy’s Reserve Intelligence Area 14, which will relocate from Naval Air Station Atlanta. Other units have requested discretionary moves into the enclave, including the Atlanta Fraud Residence Agency, the Southeastern Fraud Field Office, the South East Regional Storage Management Office and the Civil Support Readiness Group-East.

The Forest Park/Fort Gillem Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA) primary development objectives are to stimulate economic growth, create a high-value redevelopment plan; improve education, quality of life and the perception of the area and ensure one community. Using these objectives, the redevelopment plan outlines land uses and parcels to take advantage of the opportunity to create significant, high-paying jobs. The redevelopment plan adopted by the Forest Park/Fort Gillem LRA is primarily light industrial and logistical, with a smattering of commercial, residential and retail space.

[edit] Units

[edit] Installation Management Command, Southeast Region

The Installation Management Command, Southeast Region (IMCOM-SE), is located in Building 171 at Fort McPherson and has the function of managing Army installations in the southeastern United States and Puerto Rico. IMCOM-SE provides all base operations, public works and family support programs, ensuring the readiness of Soldiers, Families and military units. It has more than 15,000 employees across the southeast and manages a $2.2 billion annual operating budget.

The region is responsible for, delivering to standard, all facets of installation support, including care of Soldiers and Families; morale, welfare and recreation; education services, food and laundry; religious support; force protection; fire and emergency services; public works; environmental; residential housing; and execution of DoD base realignment.

The IMCOM-SE team includes Anniston Army Depot, Ala.; Blue Grass Army Depot, Ky.; Fort Benning, Ga.; Fort Bragg, N.C.; Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico; Fort Campbell, Ky.; Fort Gordon, Ga.; Fort Jackson, S.C.; Fort Knox, Ky.; Fort McPherson, Ga.; Fort Rucker, Ala.; Fort Stewart, Ga.; Holston Army Ammunition Plant, Tenn.; Milan Army Ammunition Plant, Tenn.; Mississippi Army Ammunition Plant, Miss.; Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point, N.C.; Redstone Arsenal, Ala.; and the U.S. Army Garrison, Miami, Fla.

The region supports the senior mission commander on each installation by relieving him or her of the requirement to oversee day-to-day garrison operations. The region exercises installation management, provides for public safety, provides for sound stewardship of resources, executes community and Family support services and programs and maintains and improves installation infrastructure.

IMCOM-SE is one of six regions under the Installation Management Command, which is headquartered at Arlington, Va. IMCOM was first organized as the Installation Management Agency in 2002. In 2006, IMCOM was activated as a three-star command that includes the former Installation Management Agency, the former Community and Family Support Center and the former Army Environmental Center under a single command as a direct reporting unit.

[edit] U.S. Army Forces Command

U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) is the largest command in the U.S. Army and the Army’s Force Provider to combatant commanders worldwide. FORSCOM combines the contributions of more than 750,000 Army National Guard, Army Reserve and active component Soldiers with those of more than 2,400 Army civilians to form a seamless, winning force that operates as a team across services, components and units. FORSCOM provides relevant and ready land power worldwide, in defense of the nation, at home and abroad.

Headquartered at Fort McPherson, FORSCOM trains, mobilizes, deploys, sustains, transforms and reconstitutes combat-ready Army forces capable of responding rapidly to crises worldwide. Using the Army Force Generation (ARFORGEN) process, FORSCOM tailors the resources and training of its units to meet the specific and ever-changing requirements of combatant commanders and, when directed, those of U.S. civil authorities. These requirements can range from fighting the war on terrorism to providing relief to natural disaster victims.

FORSCOM reports through two chains of command; as an Army command responsible directly to the chief of staff of the Army for the readiness, manning, equipping, training, mobilization and deployment of assigned forces, and as an Army Service Component Command, reporting to Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, Va. In this role, FORSCOM provides Army forces to the joint war fight. FORSCOM units also participate in multinational exercises to build confidence among U.S. allies and friends.

The active component of FORSCOM has nearly 200,000 Soldiers stationed nationwide. This number includes three Army corps — I Corps at Fort Lewis, Wash.; III Corps at Fort Hood, Texas; and XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, N.C. FORSCOM also has eight divisions, multiple brigade combat teams and a full range of other combat, combat support and combat service support units.

First Army at Fort Gillem reports to FORSCOM. It is responsible for the training, readiness, mobilization and deployment support for Army National Guard and Army Reserve units in FORSCOM. It also executes FORSCOM missions within the continental United States and Puerto Rico. Army Reserve units are part of the federal force and make their primary contribution to FORSCOM’s combat power by providing support specialties such as medical, civil affairs, public affairs, transportation, maintenance and supply. As such, the Reserve accounts for about 45 percent of the Army’s total combat service support strength and about 30 percent of the total combat support units. Many Reserve units are designated to deploy early for contingency operations worldwide.

The Army National Guard provides FORSCOM a balanced force of eight National Guard combat divisions, 32 separate brigades and extensive supporting units. The current FORSCOM Army National Guard strength is about 350,000 Soldiers. Mobilizing the Army National Guard into active federal service would bring the total strength of FORSCOM to nearly two-thirds of the Army’s combat ground forces.

[edit] U.S. Army Reserve Command

The U.S. Army Reserve Command (USARC) has approximately 191,000 U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers and 10,000 DA civilian employees. It commands all U.S. Army Reserve conventional forces in the continental U.S. and Puerto Rico. Units in the Army Reserve have a warfight focus on combat support and combat service support missions for the Total Army and include medical, legal, civil affairs, chemical warfare, transportation, engineering and military police.

The USARC was established in October 1990 as a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM). In September 1998, the USARC moved from leased facilities into their headquarters building on Fort McPherson. In 2007, the USARC transferred from reporting to FORSCOM to reporting directly to DA. Approximately 900 civilians, contractors and Soldiers work at the headquarters.

The USARC provides command, control and support for all Army Reserve troop units in the continental United States. The USARC also ensures the readiness of its force and prepares more than 2,000 Troop Program Units under its command to mobilize in support of joint war-fighting contingencies and operations other than war. Since Sept. 11, 2001, the Army Reserve has mobilized approximately 185,000 Soldiers in support of the Global War on Terrorism. Missions throughout the world where Army Reserve Soldiers are currently providing support include Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, the Balkans and Africa.

The Chief, Army Reserve, Washington, D.C., also serves as the commanding general of the U.S. Army Reserve Command. Since 2003, the Army Reserve has taken an aggressive approach to transitioning the force from a strategic environment to an operational force. With BRAC initiatives and transformation, proposed changes will make the Army Reserve more deployable and functional in order to serve America’s military needs in the 21st century.^{[citation needed]} Units will be functionally aligned forces that will not only benefit the Army Reserve, but the total military in terms of readiness and responsiveness to operational requirements.

Within the United States, Army Reserve Soldiers are actively involved in the homeland defense antiterrorism effort while continuing to provide support to military and federal agencies following natural and man-made disasters. USARC’s focus is on training, readiness, mobilization support and providing federal military assistance to other federal agencies.

[edit] U.S. Army Central

U.S. Army Central (USARCENT) is committed to supporting the objectives of US Central Command (CENTCOM) in some of the most volatile regions of the globe-the Middle East and South and Central Asia. In 1998, CENTCOM assumed responsibility for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, in turn broadening USARCENT’s mission in this very important region of the world.

Assigned as the Army component to CENTCOM, USARCENT is the only Army-level headquarters in the force structure today manned and ready to provide the CENTCOM with a fully deployable, warfighting command and control headquarters anywhere in the world. USARCENT is capable of commanding ground combat forces operating as a joint task force, a coalition joint task force or as an Army echelon-above-corps headquarters.

During wartime, USARCENT becomes the Coalition Forces Land Component Command (CFLCC), responsible for commanding all forces involved in ground operations in its area of responsibility.

Since its inception in 1918, USARCENT, once Third Army, has played major roles in America’s military history, serving in World Wars I and II, the Persian Gulf War and now the war on terrorism in Afghanistan, Iraq and other parts of the region. Over and over, USARCENT has demonstrated its determination, capabilities and flexibility to deter aggression in different parts of the world.

USARCENT does not have a fixed force structure of assigned units. Instead, it has a central reservoir composed of both active and reserve units based throughout the United States from which it may draw forces tailored to specific situations. In short, USARCENT continually customizes packages geared to sustain operation in the region 365 days a year in support of our national security objectives and obligations, filling a vital defense need and complementing USARCENT’s rich heritage and proud traditions.

Under the leadership of Gen. George S. Patton Jr., USARCENT participated in eight major operations in World War II, fighting through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Czechoslovakia and Austria. After performing Army-of-occupation duty following Germany’s surrender, Third Army returned to Atlanta in March 1947. Later that year, it moved to Fort McPherson, where it remained until it inactivated Oct. 1, 1973. In December 1982, Third Army was reactivated in Atlanta and assumed its current mission.

Third Army once again demonstrated its flexibility and capability when it was deployed to Saudi Arabia in August 1990 to assume its role as the senior Army headquarters under CENTCOM. At the peak of the build-up, the Third Army command oversaw more than 338,000 coalition forces, including 303,000 U.S. Army Soldiers and British and French ground forces.

Third Army was responsible for deploying, receiving and sustaining all Army forces deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1990 and 1991. The headquarters developed the initial defensive plan for Saudi Arabia, and later the offensive ground plan. Following the war, Third Army supervised the relief effort to restore life support facilities in Kuwait and provided protection for Iraqi refugees in southern Iraq.

Third Army headquarters returned to Fort McPherson in May 1991. In 1992, and again in 1993, Third Army formed and deployed joint task forces to Kuwait in response to Iraqi threats. Since the end of Operation Desert Storm, Third Army has deployed combat forces to Southwest Asia nine times to deter aggression.

USARCENT plans and executes an intensive schedule of joint and combined exercises in countries throughout the region, including the “Intrinsic Action” series in Kuwait and the “Bright Star” series in Egypt. Also, the headquarters manages the pre-positioned equipment program in this region to sustain a rapid response to future crisis.

Immediately following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in September 2001, USARCENT began preparing for its role in the Global War on Terrorism. In November 2001, USARCENT commanded the ground forces involved in combat operations in Afghanistan to destroy al-Qaida and the Taliban government that supported and harbored terrorist networks. The headquarters turned over responsibility for the operation to the XVIII Airborne Corps in May 2002. A few months later, USARCENT deployed again as CFLCC headquarters to Kuwait in preparation for Operation Iraqi Freedom to remove the Saddam Hussein regime. Much of the combat phase of this operation was viewed live around the world due to an unprecedented combination of embedded media and satellite video technology. USARCENT Soldiers continue providing support to the ongoing stability and support phase of this campaign while simultaneously preparing for the next crisis, contingency or war. After decisive combat operations, the CFLCC was designated as the Coalition Joint Task Force-Seven (CJTF-7). On June 15, 2003, V U.S. Corps assumed responsibilities as the CJTF-7. A portion of the USARCENT/CFLCC staff remains forward deployed in Kuwait.

[edit] Army Ground Forces Band

The 214th Army Band (The Army Ground Forces Band) was organized in 1845 in Texas as the 4th Infantry Regiment Band. Its heritage, which includes 26 campaign streamers and two awards of the French Croix de Guerre, spans the Mexican War, the American Civil War, the Spanish–American War, the Philippine–American War and both World Wars.

During the Battle of Monterey, Mexico, the band captured and turned an artillery battery against the enemy. To commemorate this distinguished service, President Zachary Taylor authorized the band to wear red piping on the uniform, making it the only Army band to receive a combat distinction from a president of the United States.

The band fought with the victorious Third Division, which spearheaded the Battle of the Marne in July 1918. Having served in Alaska during World War II, the band participated in the Aleutian Islands operatation in May 1943. Following World War II, the 4th Infantry Regiment Band was re-designated the 214th Army Band. Since 1945, this organization has been stationed in Fort Lewis, Wash.; Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Meade, Md.; Fort Richardson, Ark.; and Fort McPherson, Ga.. The unit was reassigned as the band for Headquarters, U.S. Army Forces Command, Fort McPherson, in 1973. Secretary of the Army John O. Marsh Jr. conferred the special designation “The Army Ground Forces Band” in 1985.

U.S. Army Forces Command is charged with the combat readiness of active and reserve component Army units and the Army Ground Forces Band has been designated as the “Musical Ambassador of the American Combat Soldier.” The mission of the Army Ground Forces Band is to fulfill the requirements of U.S. Army Forces Command at local, national, and international events by providing musical support for military, state, recruiting and civil functions, formal concerts, and recreational activities. The Army Ground Forces Band consists of a variety of musical ensembles, including the marching band, the concert band, the Jazz Guardians, the Dixieland band, the show band “Classix” and various ceremonial and chamber ensembles.

[edit] First Army

First Army is the senior military activity at Fort Gillem. First Army is one of two Continental U.S. Armies in U.S. Army Forces Command. Headquarters, First Army, is staffed by a specialized team of active Army, active Guard and Reserve Soldiers and DA civilian employees. It has an integrated command structure that includes more than 10,000 Active and Reserve Component (RC) Soldiers.

First Army’s area of operations includes 27 states east of the Mississippi River (including Minnesota), two territories (Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and the District of Columbia. Its customer base involves support to more than 350,000 RC Soldiers.

First Army’s mission centers around the three core functions of training and readiness: support, mobilization of RC forces and homeland defense.

First Army enhances the combat readiness of RC Soldiers and units by providing training and readiness support. It facilitates the RC units’ ability to execute missions throughout the full spectrum of military operations. This is done by providing observer/controller trainers and maintaining direct contact with RC units.^{[citation needed]}

First Army plans, prepares and executes the mobilization and deployment of RC units to provide combat-ready forces to war fighting combatant commanders. It supports presidential reserve call-ups (such as Bosnia, Kosovo and Kuwait) as well as full and partial mobilizations (such as support of homeland defense (HLD)). In fulfilling this responsibility, First Army has mobilized more than 110,000 Army National Guard and Army Reserve troops for Operations Enduring Freedom, Noble Eagle and Iraqi Freedom since the September 11 attacks in 2001.

First Army conducts HLD in support of national objectives, as directed. This means First Army is the regional DoD planning agent for military support to civil authorities during a response to natural or manmade disasters. This mission directly supports the Federal Response Plan during disaster relief operations. Normally led by the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate and the Federal Emergency Management Agency and joined by 27 federal agencies, including the American Red Cross, First Army Soldiers and civilian employees are proud of their mission to assist American families during times of crisis. The size of the First Army (and military) response depends upon the magnitude of the event requiring military support.

First U.S Army also performs two missions that, while not core functions, are significant in their importance to the Army: management of the Civilian Aides to the Secretary of the Army program and support to the National Boy Scout Jamboree.

First Army serves as the higher headquarters for three reserve divisions (training support (TS)): the 85th Division (TS), headquartered in Arlington Heights, Ill.; the 78th Division (TS), headquartered in Edison, N.J.; and the 87th Division (TS), headquartered in Birmingham, Ala. The two important missions of training and readiness support and mobilization of RC Soldiers are accomplished through these three divisions.

First Army was formed in France on Aug. 10, 1918, with Gen. John J. Pershing commanding. As America’s first numbered Army, First Army engaged in two major operations: the reduction of the St. Mihiel Salient, east of Verdun, and the Meuse-Argonne offensive, west of Verdun. After World War I and a short period of occupation in Europe, First Army was deactivated in 1919. It was reactivated at Fort Jay, N.Y., in 1933.

On D-Day, June 6, 1944, with Gen. Omar N. Bradley commanding, First Army troops landed on Omaha and Utah beaches in Normandy. First Army established an impressive record of “firsts” in World War II: First on the beaches of Normandy, first to break out of the Normandy beachhead, first to enter Paris, first to break through the Siegfried Line, first to cross the Rhine River and first to meet the Russians. After World War II, First Army headquarters was located on Governor’s Island, N.Y. On January 1, 1966, First and Second Armies merged and First Army headquarters moved to Fort Meade, Md. In 1973, First Army transitioned from an active Army-oriented organization to one dedicated to improving the readiness of reserve components. In 1983, another reorganization took place. Second Army was reactivated at Fort Gillem and assumed responsibility for reserve component matters in seven states and two territories formerly assigned to First Army. In 1991, Fourth U.S. Army was deactivated and its seven Midwestern states became part of First Army. In 1995, First and Second Armies were once again consolidated and First Army moved to Fort Gillem.

[edit] 52nd Explosives Ordnance Group

The wartime mission of the 52nd Explosives Ordnance Group (EOD) is to conduct force protection operations to defeat or lessen effects of conventional, unconventional (nuclear, biological, chemical or improvised explosive device) and terrorist munitions within its area of operations. Further, the group deploys, redeploys and assumes command and control of up to six ordnance battalions in a theater of operations, supporting the theater commander.

At Fort Gillem, the group headquarters commands and controls four battalion headquarters and 39 companies geographically separated throughout the United States. The group also runs the U.S. Army Very Important Persons Protective Service Agency, responsible for joint service coordination and tasking of EOD support to the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. State Department.

[edit] Military Entrance Processing Station

The Atlanta Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) is one of a network of 65 MEPS located nationwide and in Puerto Rico. Under the umbrella of the United States Army Accessions Command, the United States Military Entrance Processing Command (USMEPCOM) is a joint DoD agency staffed with personnel from all military services. Although it is a separate DoD agency, USMEPCOM comprises two geographical sectors and staffed with personnel from all military services. The mission of USMEPCOM and the Atlanta MEPS is to process individuals for enlistment or induction into the armed services based on DoD-approved peacetime and mobilization standards. The Atlanta MEPS performs state-of-the-art testing, medical evaluation and processing for individuals wishing to enter military service. The three primary areas to be considered in determining an applicant’s qualifications for enlistment are aptitude for militaryservice, physical qualifications and background evaluation screening.

For reasons ranging from adventurism to educational benefits, almost 7,000 young men and women from the Atlanta area were qualified for entry into the five military services through the Atlanta MEPS in fiscal year 2007. In most cases, the term of enlistment in the military service includes specialized job training. When these young men and women complete their service obligation, they return to their local community with valuable skills, disciplined work ethics and on-the-job experience.

The current location for the Atlanta MEPS was designed and built specifically for use by the MEPS. With an approximate construction cost of $3.7 million, groundbreaking for the new facility was held August 14, 1997. Personnel from the MEPS began processing applicants from this facility August 30, 1999. The normal tour of duty for military personnel assigned to the station is three years. All personnel assigned to the MEPS have the primary mission of assisting each branch of the military in processing personnel for duty in the U.S. Armed Forces.

The Atlanta MEPS has enlistment responsibility for 95 counties in Georgia, including 316 high schools and five strategically located Military Examination Test (MET) sites. Aside from the MEPS located at Fort Gillem, the five MET sites in the state of Georgia area offer aptitude testing to applicants near their homes, which eliminates unnecessary applicant travel. Those sites are located in Athens, Columbus, Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Macon and Warner Robbins Air Force Base.

As with any business, the Atlanta MEPS has considerable operating overhead which directly benefits the local business community. The Atlanta MEPS’ paid contracts and services during the fiscal year 2007 were more than $4 million.

[edit] Headquarters, 3d Military Police Group (CID)

The 3d Military Police Group (Criminal Investigation Division)(3d MP Group (CID)) is a tactical headquarters located at Fort Gillem. The mission of the 3d MP Group (CID) and its four organic battalions is to provide a full range of criminal investigative support and services for commanders, installations and other areas of Army interest in the 28 states east of the Mississippi, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Central and South America and the Caribbean. It also is responsible for providing criminal investigative support to all Army interests within the United States Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR).

USCENTCOM’s AOR comprises the 25 countries in Southwest Asia (Northern Red Sea Region, South and Central Asia, Arabian Peninsula, Iraq and the Horn of Africa). Investigative support to this operational theater includes: criminal investigations of felony crimes, logistical security, criminal intelligence assessments, personal security protection for DoD officials and visiting foreign dignitaries, force protection and safeguarding of critical resources in peacetime, combat and contingency operations. The group also works with other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and uses the latest equipment, systems and investigative techniques.

The 3d MP Group (CID) is organized into a command group and seven staff divisions, including personnel and administration, operations, logistics, resource management, staff judge advocate, information management and Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment.

The group exercises command and control of 35 subordinate units. These units support key Army field elements, including: XVIII Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; the 101st Air Assault Division|101st Air Assault Division (Light), Fort Campbell, Ky.; the Third Infantry Division, Fort Stewart; the 10th Mountain Division (Light), Fort Drum, N.Y.; and Third Army (ARCENT). The 3d MP Group (CID) is also responsible for providing support for various major commands in their area, including: DA, U.S. Army Forces Command, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, U.S. Central Command, U.S. Southern Command, U.S. Joint Forces Command and U.S. Special Operations Command.

[edit] U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory

The US Army Criminal Investigation Command (USACIL) provides forensic laboratory services to DoD investigative agencies and other federal law enforcement agencies.

USACIL also operates an Army school to train forensic laboratory examiners and manages the U.S. Criminal Investigation Command criminalistics program.

USACIL is the DoD forensic laboratory with the most extensive range of capabilities to support all defense criminal investigation organizations worldwide. The laboratory is equipped for analysis in multiple forensic disciplines.^{[citation needed]} USACIL performs forensic analysis in support of criminal investigations in the laboratory, at crime scenes or deployed into combat theaters. USACIL examiners routinely present expert testimony in criminal trials around the globe.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Southeastern Army Reserve Intelligence Support Center

The Southeastern Army Reserve Intelligence Support Center (Language Lab) at Fort Gillem provides battle-focused intelligence training support to improve reserve component technical intelligence skills, proficiency and readiness.^{[citation needed]}

The center augments the total force’s intelligence and linguistic capabilities and supports multi-service reserve component intelligence personnel and units in satisfying requirements of warfighters and national intelligence agencies.

[edit] United States Army 2nd Recruiting Brigade

The U.S. Army 2nd Recruiting Brigade, headquartered at Fort Gillem, directs the efforts of nine recruiting battalions located throughout the southeastern United States. The battalions under the U.S. Army 2nd Recruiting Brigade are located in Smyrna, Ga.; Columbia, S.C.; Jackson, Miss.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Miami, Fla.; Tampa, Fla.; Montgomery, Ala.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Raleigh, N.C.

Headquarters functions include command management, administration, operations, liaison, program budget and accounting logistics, advertising and public affairs for operation of the brigade headquarters and its recruiting battalions.

[edit] Atlanta Distribution Center — Army and Air Force Exchange Service

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service Atlanta Distribution Center (ADC) mission is twofold: to receive, store and distribute retail, cost, food and expense merchandise to primary customers in the Southeastern United States and to receive, store and distribute specialized merchandise — music, video, jewelry, military clothing, catalog, books and magazines — to customers worldwide.

The ADC completed construction of a 420,000-square-foot (39,000 m²) facility next to four existing 120,000-square-foot (11,000 m²) buildings at Fort Gillem in the spring of 1999, making it one of the most modern facilities of its kind.

[edit] U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine

The U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine (USACHPPM) mission is to provide worldwide health promotion and preventive medicine leadership and services to identify, assess and counter environmental, occupational and disease threats to the health, fitness and readiness of America’s Army, the Army community and the Army civilian workforce.^{[citation needed]} The unit’s lineage can be traced back over 50 years to the Army Industrial Hygiene Laboratory, established at the beginning of World War II and, under the direct jurisdiction of The Army Surgeon General, conducted occupational health surveys of Army-operated industrial plants, arsenals and depots. These surveys were aimed at identifying and eliminating occupational health hazards within the DoD’s industrial production base and proved to be of great benefit to the nation’s war effort.

The more than 1,000-person USACHPPM team is a linchpin of medical support to combat forces and of the military managed-care system. It provides worldwide scientific expertise and services in clinical and field preventive medicine, environmental and occupational health, health promotion and wellness, epidemiology and disease surveillance, toxicology and related laboratory sciences. Professional disciplines represented include chemists, physicists, engineers, physicians, optometrists, epidemiologists, audiologists, nurses, industrial hygienists, toxicologists and entomologists, as well as sub-specialties within these professions.

The USACHPPM headquarters is located at the South Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. Five regional subordinate commands are located at Fort George G. Meade, Md.; Fort Lewis, Wash.; Landstuhl, Germany; Camp Zama, Japan; and Fort McPherson, Ga.

Located in Building 180 on Fort McPherson, USACHPPM-South is responsible for providing preventive medicine services and training to the southeast region of the continental U.S. The unit consists of five divisions: entomological sciences, field preventive medicine, industrial hygiene, quality management support and environmental health engineering. USACHPPM-South can request additional support in other, more specialized areas from its headquarters to support its regional customers.

USACHPPM-South is in the process of relocating to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and expects to complete this move by September 30, 2009. At Fort Sam Houston, USACHPPM-South will continue to provide “cutting edge” public health services to all DoD entities (both active and reserve components) in the southeast region of the continental United States.