Camp Shelby facts for kids

1st Brigade - 34th Infantry Division, during a farewell ceremony from Camp Shelby, March 16, 2006

A C-17 Globemaster III from the Mississippi Air National Guard's 172d Airlift Wing lands at the new assault training runway at Camp Shelby on July 9, 2007

Camp Shelby is a military post whose North Gate is located at the southern boundary of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on United States Highway 49. It is the largest state-owned training site in the nation. During wartime, the camp's mission is to serve as a major independent mobilization station of the United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM). Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center is the largest reserve component training site, covering 136,000 acres (550 km²), allowing up to battalion-level maneuver training, Gunnery Table 8-12, field artillery firing points and a wide range of support facilities. This is the normal Annual Training location for National Guard and Reserve units located in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. However, units from across the country use its assets to support a variety of missions. The 2nd Battalion, 114th Field Artillery conducts its gunnery training and has the bulk of its combat equipment stored in the Mobilization and Annual Training Equipment Site (MATES) located there.

Camp Shelby Joint Forces Training Center (CSJFTC), encompassing over 525 square kilometers, is located in portions of Perry and Forrest Counties, in south Mississippi. The training center was established during World War I and it has served almost continuously since then as a training site, not only for the Reserve Components of the Army, but also for the Active Components of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. The training site consists of a mix of State, Department of Defense, and U.S. Forest Service lands in the DeSoto National Forest.

Encompassing more than 134,820 acres (546 km²), Camp Shelby, Mississippi is the largest state-owned and operated field training center in the United States. It is a training ground for the Abrams M1 Tank, Paladin Howitzers and home to the 3rd Brigade 87th Division Training Support. Camp Shelby serves as a training site for National Guardsmen and Reservists from throughout the country hosting as many as 100,000 personnel annually.

Mobilization support

• The 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment of the Tennessee Army National Guard mobilized twice for Iraq deployment. First in June-September 2004 for OIF 3 and demobilized in October 2005. Also, for a second deployment to Iraq in December 2009 to February 2010 and demobilized in August 2010.
• The 168th Engineer Brigade mobilized from Camp Shelby for its deployment to Afghanistan in 2009.
• The 256th Infantry Brigade of the Louisiana Army National Guard mobilized for Iraq deployment between January to March 2010 and demobilized in December 2011.
• The 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Oklahoma Army National Guard mobilized for Afghanistan deployment between April to May 2011 and demobilized in 2012.
• The 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the New York Army National Guard and 4th Battalion 118th Infantry Regiment of the South Carolina Army National Guard mobilized for Afghanistan and Kuwait deployment between January to April 2012 and demobilized in 2013.