Missouri sits in the heart of the country and plays a key role in training and defense. The state is home to four major active installations, supporting the Army, Air Force, and Air National Guard, plus reserve and joint units that train alongside them. Whether you are PCSing to Missouri (Permanent Change of Station, the military term for an official move to a new duty station), thinking about a move, or just curious about military history, this guide gives you a clear overview of the key military bases in the state.
Overview of Military Installations in Missouri
Missouri military bases cover a wide range of missions. They include basic combat training, engineer and military police schools, chemical defense training, stealth bomber operations, and tactical airlift. The state trains tens of thousands of service members from every branch each year, and it is the only place in the country where the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber is based. Thousands of military families move in and out of Missouri every year on PCS orders.
Active Military Bases in Missouri
- Fort Leonard Wood
- Whiteman Air Force Base
- Rosecrans Air National Guard Base (139th Airlift Wing)
- 131st Bomb Wing, Missouri Air National Guard (Whiteman and Jefferson Barracks)
Army Bases in Missouri
Fort Leonard Wood
Fort Leonard Wood sits in the Missouri Ozarks near Waynesville and St. Robert, inside the Mark Twain National Forest, and covers more than 96 square miles. It is the home of the U.S. Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence (MSCoE). The post grew from a small basic training camp more than 80 years ago into a premier Army center that trains nearly 80,000 military and civilians each year. It is the first installation to bring together three Army schools, the Engineer School, the Military Police School, and the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) School, under one roof. Fort Leonard Wood is also one of the Army's locations for Basic Combat Training and hosts large Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy detachments.
Key Missions:
- Engineer, Military Police, and CBRN training
- Basic Combat Training for new Soldiers
- Joint training across all the services
Learn more from the official Fort Leonard Wood mission and vision page and the U.S. Army Engineer School page.
Air Force Bases in Missouri
Whiteman Air Force Base
Whiteman AFB, near Knob Noster in west-central Missouri, is home to the 509th Bomb Wing, part of Air Force Global Strike Command. It is the only base in the world that flies the B-2 Spirit, the nation's long-range stealth bomber, and the wing is made up of roughly 5,600 military members and 2,000 civilian employees. The 509th can deliver both conventional and nuclear weapons anywhere in the world, and it trains every B-2 pilot in the Air Force. The first operational B-2, named "The Spirit of Missouri," arrived at Whiteman in 1993.
Key Missions:
- B-2 Spirit stealth bomber operations
- Nuclear deterrence and global strike
- Training for all B-2 aircrews
See the official 509th Bomb Wing fact sheet and the B-2 Spirit fact sheet.
Air National Guard Bases in Missouri
Rosecrans Air National Guard Base (139th Airlift Wing)
Rosecrans Air National Guard Base, in St. Joseph, is home to the 139th Airlift Wing of the Missouri Air National Guard. Its flying unit, the 180th Airlift Squadron, operates the C-130 Hercules cargo plane. The base is also the home of the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center (AATTC), which teaches tactical airlift skills to aircrews from across the services and allied nations.
Key Missions:
- Tactical airlift with the C-130 Hercules
- Advanced airlift tactics training
- State emergency and disaster response
Learn more on the 139th Airlift Wing history page and the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center page.
