United States Military Bases Key Terms

Get familiar with United States military bases key terms
By Gail_Roberts The United States military operates hundreds of bases inside the United States. When getting information on and doing business with military base personnel, some key terms will come up that aren't common in civilian business operations. In fact, the military has a vocabulary all their own, even with regards to installations and bases.

Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC)

Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) refers to the commission that determines which military installations are restructured, reorganized and closed due to the needs and budget of the Department of Defense (DoD). Commission meetings are established when needed and terminated as soon as analysis, suggestions and reports have been finalized and passed on to the President of the United States.
Try:  Get more information on the purpose, mission and goals of BRAC.

Homeports

A homeport is the base/port that a military ship and crew counts as their onshore residence. Usually, this refers to the base where the vessel's crew spends the most time when onshore.
Try:  See a list of homeports for United States Navy ships.

Forward deployed

Forward deployed refers to the deployment of military personnel and equipment from the base where they are stationed into a temporary location for a mission, training exercise or operation.
Try:  Get more thorough information regarding forward deployment at the Congressional Budget Office.

Unit directory or base locator

Many websites, both official and unofficial, offer an online tool, sometimes called a unit directory or base locator, to find military bases by using different criteria.
Try:  Check out the U.S. Marine Corps unit directory. The U.S. Air Force also has a base locator on its website.

Detachments

A military detachment is a small unit, usually smaller than a battalion, either detached from a larger unit or standing on its own, serving a specific function. Detachment sometimes refers to a unit assigned to a different military base than its parent unit.
Try:  Read about Marine Corp Detachment (MCD) Fort Lee, VA for more insight into military detachments.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS)

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) refers to an active duty military servicemember relocating from one military base to another for permanent duty.
Try:  Get a spouse's perspective on PCS at Military Spouse.