Fort Knox
Fort Knox is a prominent military installation located in Kentucky, spanning 109,000 acres across Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. Established in 1918, it has played a crucial role in training and mobilizing U.S. troops for major conflicts, including both World Wars, the Vietnam War, and more recent operations. With a daytime population exceeding 26,000, Fort Knox includes military personnel, civilians, and their families, alongside a range of housing options and facilities. It also houses the U.S. Army Human Resources Command and various training commands, reflecting its evolving role in military operations.
In addition to its military significance, Fort Knox is famously known for the Fort Knox Bullion Depository, often referred to as the "Gold Vault." This secure facility stores a substantial portion of the nation’s gold reserves, contributing to the installation's reputation as one of the most heavily guarded military sites in the U.S. The installation is further enriched by the General George Patton Museum, which showcases leadership in the Armed Forces and holds the largest collection of artifacts related to General Patton. Despite its historical significance and the intrigue surrounding the Bullion Depository, Fort Knox remains primarily a military facility dedicated to preparing soldiers for service.
Fort Knox
Fort Knox is a military installation in Kentucky located between Louisville and Elizabethtown. It consists of 109,000 acres that stretch across three Kentucky counties: Bullitt, Harden, and Meade. Fort Knox is home to the United States Army’s nineteenth-largest population, with a daytime population of more than 26,000 people, including military members, civilian employees, and dependents. The post includes more than 2,300 family homes and more than 13,000 permanent and transient barracks rooms. Fort Knox is also a certified Kentucky city, with the fifteenth-largest population in the state.
Fort Knox played an instrumental role in the training and mobilization of the military since it opened in 1918. This training has prepared troops for World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War, Operation Desert Shield, and more. Since 2005, Fort Knox has provided training and career management for soldiers. This military installation has a rich and ever-evolving history. Additionally, the Fort Knox Bullion Depository also makes Fort Knox one of the most heavily guarded military posts in the country.
Brief History
When the United States entered World War I in 1917, the military needed additional installations to train and mobilize troops and prepare them for war. Sixteen new installations opened across the country, with the first being Camp Zachary Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky. This camp served as an artillery range for various field artillery units, including the Eighty-Fourth Division field artillery unit that arrived on April 1, 1918. The Army continued to acquire land surrounding Camp Zachary Taylor in Kentucky’s nearby Bullitt County and Meade County.
In August 1918, the newly acquired land was named Camp Knox after General Henry Knox, a general for the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War and the country’s first Secretary of War. During World War I, the capabilities of Camp Knox continued to grow. It served as an active training center for the Reserve Officer Training Camp (ROTC). By 1922, Camp Knox was the second-largest Army training center in the United States.
In 1931, Camp Knox became the headquarters for the US mechanized calvary. One year later, it was established as a permanent military installation and was renamed Fort Knox. Housing and other facilities were built to support the mechanized calvary, and this early construction remains a part of Fort Knox’s Historic District.
Fort Knox also played an important role in the preparation of troops during World War II. In 1940, the Armored Force School and Armored Force Replacement Center were established at the site to train soldiers in armor tactics and tank gunnery. From 1944 to 1946, Fort Knox also served as a prisoner of war (POW) camp that housed Italian and German POWs. The US Navy also used Fort Knox for training during the war. Additionally, its Godman Army Airfield stationed several bombardment groups during World War II.
Fort Knox continued to be an important military installation in preparation for modern conflicts. It served as the site for ROTC basic camp, which provided training to more than one million individuals leading up to the Vietnam War. In 1990, the Continental United States (CONUS) Replacement Center was activated to prepare combat-ready soldiers and send replacement soldiers to commanders during Operation Desert Shield.
Overview
Fort Knox has a long and storied history as a military installation designed to prepare and mobilize troops. However, in 2005, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announced the Department of Defense’s Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) recommendation list. This process, which required congressional authorization, is designed to restructure military bases nationwide to ensure they operate efficiently and effectively. The 2005 BRAC recommendations significantly shifted how Fort Knox operated.
Notably, these BRAC recommendations resulted in the US Army Human Resources Command, Army Accessions Command, and Cadet Command relocating to Fort Knox. Together, these units formed the Human Resources Command Center of Excellence. While some units and troops moved out of Fort Knox during this transition, new units arrived. Fort Knox became home to the Infantry Brigade Combat Team with the arrival of the Third Brigade of the First Infantry Division.
In 2013, Fort Knox began to provide ROTC cadet summer training, which trained more than ten thousand cadets annually. It provides all soldier career management from the period the soldier is sworn in through the time the soldier ends military service. As a multifunctional military installation, Fort Knox is also home to the US Army Recruiting Command, Army Reserve Aviation Command, Army Reserve Career Group, and The Army School System Training Center.
The military installation is located next to the Fort Knox Bullion Depository, which stores precious metal reserves for the United States. Often called the “Gold Vault,” the Bullion Depository was built in 1936 using 750 tons of reinforced steel and 670 tons of structural steel to protect it from weather-related damage or attack. The building is equipped with high-tech security systems to protect its contents. It has been receiving and housing gold since the first gold shipments arrived via US Postal Service delivery in 1937. The United States Department of the Treasury oversees the Bullion Depository and reports that it houses 147.3 million ounces of gold, making up about half of the Treasury’s total gold holdings. The gold in this facility is an asset of the United States at a price of $42.22 per ounce. No visitors are allowed inside the Fort Knox Bullion Depository, and few people know the total contents of the facility. Even more, no person knows how to completely open the vault and access its contents. The secrecy and mystery surrounding the Fort Knox Bullion Depository have led to intrigue among visitors and area residents alike.
Fort Knox is also home to the General George Patton Museum, which first opened as the Patton Museum of Calvary and Honor in 1948. Its exhibits celebrate leadership in the US Armed Forces, including the leadership of General George S. Patton. These exhibits feature some of the general’s artifacts dating back to his childhood through his career of service. The museum has the largest collection of General Patton’s artifacts in the world. Visitors can also tour World War II barracks, a permanent exhibit added to the museum in 2021.
Bibliography
“About Us.” The General George Patton Museum, generalpatton.org/about-us/. Accessed 4 Apr. 2023.
Brandes, Todd, and Jimmy Shirley. “Fort Knox. Mystery in Its History.” United States Mint, 28 Apr. 2017, www.usmint.gov/news/inside-the-mint/fort-knox-history. Accessed 4 Apr. 2023.
DeHaan, Jenny. “Authentic WWII-Era Barracks on Display at Patton Museum, Open to the Public.” US Army, 10 May 2021, www.army.mil/article/246162/authentic‗wwii‗era‗barracks‗on‗display‗at‗patton‗museum‗open‗to‗the‗public. Accessed 4 Apr. 2023.
“Fast Facts.” US Army Fort Knox, home.army.mil/knox/index.php/about/fast-facts. Accessed 4 Apr. 2023.
“Fort Knox Bullion Depository.” United States Mint, 17 Feb. 2023, www.usmint.gov/about/mint-tours-facilities/fort-knox. Accessed 4 Apr. 2023.
“Fort Knox In-Depth Overview.” Military Installations, installations.militaryonesource.mil/in-depth-overview/fort-knox. Accessed 4 Apr. 2023.
“History of Fort Knox.” US Army, 20 Sept. 2014, home.army.mil/knox/index.php/about/history. Accessed 4 Apr. 2023.
Pilgrim, Eric. “Centennial: Historian Reflects on the Year That Changed Fort Knox.” US Army, 24 Oct. 2018, www.army.mil/article/212865/centennial‗historian‗reflects‗on‗the‗year‗that‗changed‗fort‗knox. Accessed 4 Apr. 2023.