Location
Fort Belvoir is located in Fairfax County in Northern Virginia approximately 20 miles South of Washington, D.C. The base operator’s phone number is 703-545-6700.
History
Fort Belvoir’s history is interwoven with the birth of our nation, as well as the founding of Fairfax County, Virginia. Like most land in colonial America, the 8,656-acre tract along the Potomac River that is now Fort Belvoir was part of a grant from a 17th-century English king. The land was handed down through the Culpepper family to Thomas, the sixth Lord Fairfax, who in 1734, persuaded his cousin, Col. William Fairfax, to come to Virginia and oversee the family’s holdings. Col. Fairfax built his home on 2,000 acres of what is now much of South Post and named the estate Belvoir, which means “beautiful to see.”
In 1912, the land was transferred to the War Department. In 1915, engineer troops from Washington Barracks, now Fort McNair, established Camp Belvoir as a rifle range and training camp. The name was changed to Camp A.A. Humphreys in 1917, when a major camp was constructed during an unusually bitter winter to train engineer replacements for World War I. The post was renamed Fort Humphreys in 1922, to indicate its permanent status, and became Fort Belvoir in 1935. For more information, visit the Fort Belvoir Homepage.
Mission
Fort Belvoir is unlike any other Army installation in the world. It has a diverse, modern-day mission of being a strategic sustaining base for America’s Armed Forces. A list of organizations at Fort Belvoir reads like a “Who’s Who” in the department of Defense. No other Army installation in the world can compare with our diverse, modern-day mission of providing logistical and administrative support to over 120 diverse tenant satellite organizations.
Fort Belvoir is home to several Army command headquarters, units and agencies of nine different Army major commands, 16 different agencies of the Department of the Army, eight elements of the U. S. Army Reserve and Army National Guard and nine DOD agencies. All these agencies play important roles in Fort Belvoir’s global mission to provide worldwide logistical and administrative support to all the armed services.
Population Served
In addition to U.S. Army forces, the U. S. Navy construction battalion, a Marine Corps detachment, one U. S. Air Force unit, and an agency of the Department of Treasury are also located at Fort Belvoir.
Fort Belvoir also houses the headquarters for Army Material Command, Defense Logistics Agency, Defense Technical Information Service, Defense Contract Audit Agency, Defense National Stockpile Center, and the Defense Fuel Supply Center.
Base Transportation
Currently there is no bus access from the King Street, Eisenhower Avenue and Huntington Metrorail stations to Fort Belvoir.
Sponsorship
Military personnel in-processing to units other than the Garrison Headquarters Battalion should contact their units directly prior to arrival on post to request a sponsor. Soldiers assigned to the U.S. Army Garrison Headquarters Battalion can request a sponsor by calling 703-806-5659 or DSN 656-5659. Individuals who are not sure of the correct contact information may contact the Garrison Military Personnel Division for assistance at 703-805-5583, or DSN 312-655-5583.
Personnel wanting to rent a Post Office Box to forward their mail while en route should contact their local post office (not Fort Belvoir) to complete a Post Office Box Application or apply online. The application and a check for $36.00 (good for 6 months) will then be mailed to: Post Master Fort Belvoir, VA 22060.
To have mail forwarded to a general mailing address, personnel can complete an Application for General Delivery and have their mail sent in their name to General Delivery Fort Belvoir, VA 22060. This option is good for 30 days. For more information, call the Fort Belvoir post office at 703-781-7735.
Temporary Quarters
Reservations for temporary lodging are accepted up to 60 days in advance of arrival. Reservations can be made for up to 14 days of stay. If space permits, reservations can be extended up to 30 days. To make a reservation, contact Fort Belvoir Lodging at 1-800-295-9750 or 703-704-8600, personnel are available 24 hours a day. Please note that DoD civilians only when in TDY status are authorized to use the facility.
Relocation Assistance
Contact the Relocation Readiness Program as soon as you receive your PCS orders so you can obtain information about your new post, such as housing, medical services, community, installation, schools, jobs and more. The Army Community Services (ACS) Lending Closet has household items available for temporary use on a first come first serve basis. A Newcomer’s Orientation is held the first Monday of every month at the Barden Education Center, Building 1017, from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. If the first Monday is a holiday, the briefing will be held the following Monday. All newly arriving personnel (both military and civilian) and their families are strongly encouraged to attend. Once a month, ACS offers a Spouse Orientation in the Housing Community Centers. For more information about either orientation or the relocation program call 703-805-3436/5058.
Critical Installation Information
The area code for Fort Belvoir is 703. The installation’s Hotline number is 703-805-3030 and the Information Line is 703-545-6700. DSN prefixes are: 655 for commercial numbers beginning with 805; 656 for commercial numbers beginning with 806; 654 for numbers beginning with 704; and 427 for numbers beginning with 767. The area code for Washington D.C. is 202 and for Maryland (closest to Fort Belvoir) it is 301.