Fort Bliss

Fort Bliss is a United States Army post with its headquarters in El Paso, Texas, and extends into New Mexico. Established in 1848, it was renamed in 1854 to honor Bvt. Lieut. Colonel William W.S. Bliss. The post has an area of approximately 1,700 square miles (4,400 km2), making it the largest installation in FORSCOM and second-largest in the Army overall. It provides the largest contiguous tract of restricted airspace in the Continental United States for missile and artillery training and testing.

Historically, Fort Bliss has occupied multiple locations, starting as the Post Opposite El Paso del Norte in 1849, moving to Magoffinsville in 1854, Camp Concordia in 1868, and Hart's Mill in 1878, before settling at its present site in 1893. It played a role in securing the Mexico–United States border during the Mexican Revolution and was a training center for anti-aircraft artillery battalions during World War II. Post-war, it became central to rocket development, hosting Operation Paperclip German scientists, and later, a premier site for testing anti-aircraft equipment during the Cold War, utilizing various missile systems like Nike Ajax and Patriot.

Currently, Fort Bliss is home to the 1st Armored Division, which returned from Germany in 2011, and the 1st Armored Division Sustainment Brigade. Other units include the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command, 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Joint Task Force North, and the Joint Modernization Command. It also hosts the NCO Leadership Center of Excellence and the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy. Biggs Army Airfield, a military power projection platform, is part of the installation. Fort Bliss serves as a major deployment center for troops and trains Afghan security forces. It is equipped to conduct live-fire exercises for various Army weapons and is a key location for testing military equipment. The post includes the McGregor Range Complex for training missions and features a secured drone airfield. Fort Bliss is also home to the William Beaumont Army Medical Center and the Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant.