Fort Carson
As one of the Army’s youngest installations, Fort Carson – The
Mountain Post – sits on 137,000 acres just south of Colorado Springs.
It owns an additional 236,000 acre training site in southeastern Colo-
rado. Named after the famous frontiersman, Kit Carson, the fort was
established in 1942 three weeks after Pearl Harbor.
Over the years, the post has grown to a military population of over
21,000 soldiers and is served by over 4,800 civilian employees. The
post has been home to nine different divisions and a number of smaller
units since its creation in 1942.
For many years the major unit stationed at Fort Carson was the 4th
Infantry Division (Mechanized). Although the 4th was moved to Texas,
the mission of Fort Carson remained as it was in the past – training
troops to be combat ready. It’s extensive on post down range areas and
Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site provide ideal facilities for large force-on-
force maneuver training and live fire training.
In 1995 the troops of the 10th Special Forces Group moved to Fort
Carson. In 1999 Fort Carson became headquarters for the 7th Infantry
Division, which is in charge of training National Guard personnel. It
has also been home to the 3rd Armored Calvary Regiment that
deployed in 2003 in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and
Iraqi Freedom. In 2005 the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 2nd
Infantry Division took up residency at the post when they completed
their combat tour in Iraq.
Additional changes are anticipated in the coming year. The 3rd
ACR may be redeploying to Texas and the 4th Infantry Division may
once again take up residency at the fort. No matter what changes occur
it is safe to say that Fort Carson will continue to have a significant
impact on Colorado Springs and the surrounding area’s resources.
100th Missile Defense Brigade, which is charged with missile attack
defense.
Area Code for Phone Numbers is (719) unless noted otherwise
Use Google Maps to Find These Locations/Get Directions
VETERANS & MILITARY RESOURCES
American Legion Posts
American Legion Post 3
P.O. Box 235, Calhan
American Legion Post 5
15 E.Platte Ave. (80903), 632-0960
American Legion Post 38
6685 Southmoor Dr., 392-9901
Fountain 80817
American Legion Post 39
634 Manitou Ave., 685-4724
Manitou Springs 80829
American Legion Post 209
4291 Austin Bluffs Pkwy. (80918), 599-8624
American Legion Post 1980
P.O. Box 1980
Woodward Pk. (80903), 687-0994
Resources
Colorado Springs Veteran Center
416 E. Colorado Ave., 471-9992
Disabled American Veterans
3754 E. LaSalle, 380-8005
Diversified Veterans Corporate Ctr.
2315 N. Weber, 630-2220
El Paso County Veterans Affairs
105 N. Spruce St., 444-5625
Teller County Veterans Services
11400 U.S. Hwy 24, Divide, 687-8648
The Retired Enlisted Assoc. (Chapter 1)
834 Emory Circle (Office), 596-0927
U.S. Government Department of Veterans Affairs
Benefits Information &Assistance, 800-827-1000
Complaints, 800-488-8244
Vocational Rehab (local), 633-1871
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)
Pikes PeakPost 4051
430 E. Pikes Peak Ave., 632-9874
VFW Post 3917
4715 W.Clearview Dr., 392-8677
Security 80911
VFWPost 101
702 S. Tejon (80903), 632-2776
VFW Post 6461
753 S. Santa Fe Ave., 382-7957
Fountain 80817
Newspapers
TheMountaineer (Weekly)
Ft. Carson, 526-4144
Academy Spirit (Weekly)
Air Force Academy Cadet News, 333-2990
www.military.com
www.coloradospringschamber.org/military
One of the operation command centers at the Cheyenne Mountain complex.
POST HEADS FOR 30,000
By TOM ROEDER
Fort Carson will add 4,877 soldiers by 2013, pushing its active-duty population to nearly 30,000 and pumping millions of dollars into local coffers, the Pentagon said Wednesday.
The move will place a newly formed infantry brigade and supporting troops at the post. It will mean tens of millions of dollars in construction and will add to the building boom at Fort Carson, which was already slated to grow by 10,000 soldiers by 2010.
It could bring as much as an extra $250 million per year to Colorado businesses and create more than 3,000 civilian jobs, economists estimated. “I’m excited,” said U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., after getting the news from Army Undersecretary Keith Eastin. “This is great news.”
The Pentagon said Colorado Springs and Fort Carson got the nod for more troops because a primary consideration was quality of life. “We made a hard look at where we can station this force — not just the soldiers but the family members — and give them a quality of life that equals their quality of service to the nation,” Army Gen. Richard Cody, the service’s vice chief of staff, said at a news conference in Washington, D.C.
The Army said the decision was not tied to its proposal to expand the Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site in southeast Colorado, which has pitted ranchers and politicians against the Defense Department.
While Army officials say they still covet more land, lawmakers say the move Wednesday shows they aren’t unhappy with what they already own in Colorado. “Obviously this was a vote of confidence for Fort Carson as it stands now,” Lamborn said.
With troops already moving to Fort Carson from Fort Hood, Texas, under a 2005 decision by the federal Base Realignment and Closure Commission, and the newly announced addition, Fort Carson will become one of the largest installations in the Army.
It will be home to five combat brigades, two division headquarters units, a Special Forces group and a slew of support troops. The growth will also add thousands of military family members to Colorado Springs, with an estimated
7,500 accompanying the nearly 5,000 troops.
Fort Carson was supposed to get a large influx of troops this year, but the moves were delayed by the Army’s needs for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Commanders say additional soldiers and families could start arriving as soon as next summer as soldiers begin arriving to fill out a division headquarters unit and a 4th Infantry Division brigade combat team. More will arrive at Fort Carson after they complete a combat tour in Iraq, sometime in 2009. Col. Gene Smith, Fort Carson’s garrison commander, said the bulk of the new brigade will arrive by 2011, and the entire unit will be based at the post by 2013.
The Army is growing nationwide to accommodate the increasing pace of deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. The service is adding 65,000 soldiers, including six brigade combat teams. The type of wars the Army is fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan has driven a critical need for infantry troops like those coming to Fort Carson who specialize in mountainous terrain and urban environments. Other posts getting large units are Fort Stewart, Ga., and Fort Bliss, Texas.
Fort Carson officials said they’re getting ready for growth and have initial ideas about where they can house the extra troops. But specifics on how the growth will be accommodated are weeks away.
The latest announcement will continue an overhaul of Fort Carson, which will more than double in size from the 14,500 troops it housed when the Iraq war began in 2003. The post already had launched nearly $1 billion in new construction to house the additional troops it was slated to get. With Wednesday’s Pentagon announcement, U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., said that $400 million in additional construction at the post will be needed.
Area politicians have been pushing for more troops at Fort Carson since the last increase was announced in 2005. But those hopes seemed to be dimming as ranchers and lawmakers joined to derail the proposed expansion of the Pinon Canyon training area east of Trinidad. That proposal was to add 418,000 acres to the 235,000-acre training area, which the Army said was needed to train the new soldiers at the post, was put on hold for a year by Congress. Lawmakers blocked expenditures on additional land for 2008 and required more impact studies before it can again be considered.
The Army has said moves to restrict growth of the training area would make Colorado less attractive for housing more soldiers. In recent weeks, politicians including Lamborn, Salazar and Sen. Wayne Allard have lobbied to get the
additional soldiers. Allard said Army training needs will be met. “The news of a new brigade at Fort Carson also carries with it a responsibility of ensuring that these soldiers are provided with the best possible facilities to fulfill their mission,” he said in a news release. “I look forward to working with the other members of the Colorado congressional delegation to ensure that we provide these soldiers with the necessary training facilities.”
CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0240 or tom.roeder@gazette.com
GROWTH AT FORT CARSON
Fort Carson will grow to 30,000 soldiers by 2013 under a plan announced Wednesday. Here’s a look at the past, present and projected active-duty population and number of brigades over a 10-year cycle:
2003: 14,500 soldiers, two brigade combat teams.
2007: 17,500 soldiers, three brigade combat teams.
2010: 24,500 soldiers, four brigade combat teams.
2013: 30,000 soldiers, five brigade combat teams.
IMPACT OF GAINING A BRIGADE
4,900 more troops
400 more civilian jobs
$249 million in business income
$342.6 million in total payroll
7,950 total jobs
$20.5 million of state and local taxes