Fort Bliss Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in the U . S . states of New Mexico and Texas , with its headquarters located in El Paso , Texas . With an area of about , it is the Army ' s second - largest installation , behind the adjacent White Sands Missile Range . It is FORSCOM ' s ( United States Army Forces Command ) largest installation , and has the Army ' s largest Maneuver Area ( 992 , 000 acres ) behind the National Training Center . Part of the post in El Paso County , Texas , is a census - designated place ( CDP ) ; it had a population of 8 , 591 at the 2010 census . Fort Bliss provides the largest contiguous tract ( ) of virtually unrestricted airspace in the Continental United States . The airspace is used for missile and artillery training and testing . Fort Bliss is home to the 1st Armored Division , which returned to US soil in 2011 , after 40 years in Germany . The division is supported by the 15th Sustainment Brigade . The installation is also home to the 32nd Army Air & Missile Defense Command , the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade , the 212th Fires Brigade , and the 402nd Field Artillery Brigade . The headquarters for the El Paso Intelligence Center , a federal tactical operational intelligence center , is hosted at Fort Bliss . Its DoD ( United States Department of Defense ) counterpart , Joint Task Force North , is at Biggs Army Airfield . Biggs Field , a military airport located at Fort Bliss , is designated a military power projection platform . Fort Bliss National Cemetery is located on the post . The fort is named for Mexican - American War soldier William Wallace Smith Bliss . Other forts in the frontier fort system were Forts Griffin , Concho , Belknap , Chadbourne , Fort Stockton , Fort Davis , Richardson , McKavett , Clark , Fort McIntosh , Fort Inge and Phantom Hill in Texas , and Fort Sill in Oklahoma . There were " sub posts or intermediate stations " including Bothwick ' s Station on Salt Creek between Fort Richardson and Fort Belknap , Camp Wichita near Buffalo Springs between Fort Richardson and Red River Station , and Mountain Pass between Fort Concho and Fort Griffin . History . The Pershing Expedition . In January 1914 , John J . Pershing arrived in El Paso to take command of the Army 8th Brigade that was stationed at Fort Bliss . At the time , the Mexican Revolution was underway in Mexico , and the 8th Brigade had been assigned the task of securing the U . S . - Mexico border . In March 1915 , under the command of General Frederick Funston , Pershing led the 8th Brigade on the failed 1916 – 1917 Punitive Expedition into Mexico in search of the outlaw Pancho Villa . World War I and World War II . As American Expeditionary Force s ( AEF ) commander ( 1917 – 1918 ) , John J . Pershing transferred to Fort Bliss and was responsible for the organization , training , and supply of an inexperienced force that eventually grew from 27 , 000 men to over 2 , 000 , 000 — the National Army of World War I . From 10 December 1917 – 12 May 1918 , the wartime 15th Cavalry Division existed at Fort Bliss . Similarly , the Headquarters , 2nd Cavalry Brigade was initially activated at Fort Bliss on 10 December 1917 and then deactivated in July 1919 , but then reactivated at Fort Bliss on 31 August 1920 . Predominantly a cavalry post since 1912 , Fort Bliss acquired three light armored car s , eight medium armored cars , two motorcycles , and two trucks on 8 November 1928 . During World War II , Fort Bliss focused on training anti - aircraft artillery battalions ( AAA ) . In September 1940 the Coast Artillery ' s anti - aircraft training center was established , and in 1941 the 1st Tow Target Squadron arrived to fly target drone s ( the 6th , 19th , & 27th Tow Target Squadrons were at the nearby Biggs Field ) . On 3 August 1944 , the Anti - Aircraft Artillery School was ordered from Camp Davis to Fort Bliss to make the training of anti - aircraft gunners easier , and they became the dominant force at Fort Bliss following the departure of the U . S . 1st Cavalry Division . By February 1946 , over 100 Operation Paperclip scientists had arrived to develop rocket s and were attached to the Office of the Chief of Ordnance Corps , Research and Development Service , Suboffice ( Rocket ) , headed by Major James P . Hamill . Although the scientists were initially “ pretty much kept on ice ” ( resulting in the nickname " Operation Icebox " ) , they were subsequently divided into a research group and a group who assisted with V - 2 test launches at White Sands Proving Grounds . German families began arriving in December 1946 , and by the spring of 1948 , the number of German rocket specialists ( nicknamed " Prisoners of Peace " ) in the US was 127 . Fort Bliss rocket launches included firings of the Private missile at the Hueco Range in April 1945 . In 1953 , funding cuts caused the cancellation of work on the Hermes B2 ramjet work that had begun at Fort Bliss . In late 1953 after troops had been trained at the Ft Bliss Guided Missile School , field - firing operations of the MGM - 5 Corporal were underway at Red Canyon Range Camp , WSPG . In April 1950 , the 1st Guided Missile Group named the Republic - Ford JB - 2 the ARMY LOON . The Cold War . Fort Bliss trained thousands of U . S . Soldiers during the Cold War . As the United States gradually came to master the art of building and operating missiles , Fort Bliss and White Sands Missile Range became more and more important to the country , and were expanded accordingly . On 1 July 1957 the U . S . Army Air Defense Center was established at Fort Bliss . Located at this Center , in addition to Center Headquarters , are the U . S . Army Air Defense School ; Air Defense ; the 6th Artillery Group ( Air Defense ) ; the 61st Ordnance Group ; and other supporting elements . In 1957 Fort Bliss and its anti - aircraft personnel began using Nike Ajax , Nike Hercules , Hawk , Sprint , Chaparral , and Redeye missiles . Fort Bliss took on the important role of providing a large area for troops to conduct live fire exercise s with the missiles . Because of the large number of Army personnel enrolled in the air defense school , Fort Bliss saw two large rounds of construction in 1954 and 1958 . The former was aimed at creating more barracks facilities , while the latter was aimed at building new classrooms , materials labs , a radar park , and a missile laboratory . Between 1953 and 1957 the Army also expanded McGregor Range in an effort to accommodate live fire exercises of the new missile systems . Throughout the Cold War Fort Bliss remained a premier site for testing anti - aircraft equipment . Fort Bliss was used as the Desert Stage of the Ranger School training course to prepare Ranger School graduates for operations in the deserts of the Middle East . From 1983 to 1987 , Fort Bliss was home to the Ranger School ' s newly formed 4th ( Desert Ranger ) Training Company . This unit was later expanded in 1987 to form the newly created Ranger Training Brigade ' s short - lived 7th Ranger Training Battalion , which was then transferred to the Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah . The deserts of Utah proved to be unsuitable so the 7th Ranger Training Battalion was returned to Fort Bliss from 1991 until the Ranger School ' s Desert Phase was discontinued in 1995 . While the United States Army Air Defense Artillery School develops doctrine and tactics , training current and future soldiers has always been its core mission . Until 1990 the post was used for Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training ( AIT ) , under the 1 / 56 ADA Regiment , part of 6th ADA . Before 1989 , 1 / 56 had three basic training companies and two AIT batteries . After 1990 , 1 / 56 dropped basic training , that mission assumed by Fort Sill . The unit now had four enlisted batteries for enlisted AIT , one battery for the Officer ' s Basic Course and Captain ' s Career Course ( added in 2004 ) and one company that trained army truck drivers ( MOS 88M ) . Base Realignment and Closure . In 1995 , the Department of Defense recommended that the U . S . 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment be relocated to Fort Carson , Colorado . Efforts to consolidate units from another post with those units that remained at Fort Bliss were overruled by the Base Realignment and Closing Commission , leaving Fort Bliss without any armored vehicles . Units operating the US Army ’ s MIM - 104 Patriot Missile Defense System relocated to Fort Bliss during the 1990s . The Patriot system played an important role in the Persian Gulf War / Operation Desert Storm in 1991 . In commemoration , the US 54 expressway in northeast El Paso was designated the Patriot Freeway . The War on Terror . After the September 11 , 2001 attacks , Fort Bliss provided ADA Battalions for US and NATO use in Afghanistan and Iraq , and has served as one of the major deployment centers for troops bound for Iraq and Afghanistan . This mission is accomplished via nearby Biggs Army Airfield , which is included in the installation ' s supporting areas . Following the War in Afghanistan ( 2001 – present ) in 2001 Fort Bliss began training Afghan security forces at the U . S . Army Sergeants Major Academy at Fort Bliss , with the hope that these newly trained soldiers would eventually be able to take control of their own national security . Base Realignment and Closure , 2005 . In 2005 , the Pentagon recommended transforming Fort Bliss into a heavy armor training post , to include approximately 11 , 500 new troops from the U . S . 1st Armored Division – at that time stationed in Germany - , as well as units from Fort Sill and Fort Hood . An estimated 15 , 918 military jobs and 384 civilian jobs would be transferred to Fort Bliss , bringing the total number of troops stationed at Fort Bliss under this alignment to a total of 35 , 000 by 2012 . Officials from Fort Bliss and the City of El Paso were thrilled with the decision ; the general mood of the city government was perfectly captured by 14 May edition of the " El Paso Times " , which boldly proclaimed " BLISS WINS BIG " . According to Senator Eliot Shapleigh , the BRAC commission considered three primary factors to make its decision : The military value of Fort Bliss , the potential for other branches of the armed service to use a post as large as Fort Bliss , and the lack of urban encroachment around Fort Bliss that would otherwise hinder its growth . The arrival of the 11 , 500 troops from the 1st Armored Division is also expected to create some 20 , 196 direct and indirect military and civilian jobs in El Paso . According to the Department of Defense , this is the largest net gain in the United States tied to the Base Realignment and Closure recommendations . Of the 20 , 196 new jobs expected to come to El Paso as a result of Bliss ’ realignment 9 , 000 would be indirect civilian jobs created by the influx of soldiers to the " Sun City " . When the BRAC commission recommendations were released Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison ’ s spokesman reported that El Paso was the only area that came out with a major gain of forces . The news that El Paso had been selected to receive major elements of the 1st Armored Division was met with joy , but at the same time many expressed surprise at the panel ' s recommendation to transfer the Air Defense Artillery School , 6th ADA Brigade , and its accompanying equipment ( including the MIM - 104 Patriot Missile Anti - Aircraft / Anti Missile defense system ) to Fort Sill . On 25 August officials representing Fort Bliss went before the BRAC Commission to plead their case for maintaining the ADA school and its accompanying equipment at Fort Bliss , citing among other thing the size of Fort Bliss and the history of the ADA school in the region . The BRAC Commission ultimately ruled against Fort Bliss , and the roughly 4 , 500 affected soldiers have begun their transfer to Fort Sill . The entire transfer of soldiers to and from Fort Bliss must be completed no later than 15 September 2011 . On 25 June 2009 , authority over the post was shifted from Training and Doctrine Command to Forces Command . Today . Among Fort Bliss ' missions : Training missions are supported by the McGregor Range Complex , located some to the northeast of the main post , in New Mexico . Most of Fort Bliss lies in the state of New Mexico , stretching northeastward along U . S . Route 54 from El Paso County , Texas to the southern boundary of the Lincoln National Forest in Otero County , New Mexico ; in addition , much of the northwestward side of Highway 54 is part of the Fort Bliss Military Reservation , ranging from the northern side of Chaparral , New Mexico to the southern boundary of White Sands Missile Range ; the main facilities are within the city limits of El Paso , Texas . According to the city zoning map , the post officially resides in Central El Paso . Separate from the main post are the William Beaumont Army Medical Center ( which also serves the warrior transition battalion for the post ' s wounded warrior s ) and a Veterans Administration center at the eastern base of the Franklin Mountains . All of these supporting missions serve the military and retired - military population here , including having served General Omar N . Bradley in his last days . A new warrior transition complex , located at Marshall and Cassidy roads , was opened in June 2011 to replace the older facility serving the warrior transition battalion . The installation is also close to the El Paso Airport ( with easy access from the post via Robert E . Lee Road — soon to be renamed Buffalo Soldier Road ) , Highway 54 , and Interstate 10 . There is a replica of the Magoffinsville site for Fort Bliss on post , simulating the adobe style of construction . Other items of interest include the Buffalo Soldier memorial statue on Buffalo Soldier Road , at the Buffalo Soldier Gate of entry to the post , and a missile museum on Pleasanton Road . The walls of the old Fort Bliss Officers Club contains adobe bricks that are more than a century old . The building now houses a Family Readiness Group , where new personnel can learn about the post ' s activities and support groups . The Fort Bliss Welcome center , for new arrivals , is nearby , in the Building 500 area . Local impact of Fort Bliss . As of 2005 , the base contributed about $ 1 . 7 billion to the economy of Central El Paso and Northeast El Paso , and many businesses in the region serve the post ' s troops . When troops are transferred to other posts or called up for service overseas , the economic fallout can be felt throughout the city . Following the departure of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment in 1995 , many businesses in the Central and Northeast parts of the city closed or moved . Conversely , the expected influx of troops from the 1st Armored Division has led to a housing and schools construction boom in the Central and Northeast areas of El Paso . During the 2005 round of Base Realignment and Closure ( BRAC ) , Fort Bliss came out an enormous winner . By 2013 , BRAC growth is expected to add almost 28 , 000 new troops , 16 , 000 new spouses , and 21 , 000 new children to the El Paso community . The growth is expected to create a strong economic ripple throughout the El Paso area . With the growth in Fort Bliss , the economy is expected to profit by $ 5 billion each year after 2012 . Fort Bliss has also assisted El Paso during local disaster s . In 1897 , and again in 1925 , the fort provided food and housing to those displaced by flood waters . Following the 2006 flooding Fort Bliss dispatched troops to the flood - affected areas to help with cleanup , to monitor and secure the Rio Grande , and to tow vehicles stuck in standing water to safety . As of July 2010 , electric power consumption at Fort Bliss had been reduced by three megawatts as the base continues to work towards becoming a " net zero " energy installation . A joint study by Fort Bliss and El Paso - area city governments found that desalination was a viable method for increasing El Paso ' s water supply by 25 % . The Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant , on Montana Avenue , is located on Fort Bliss property , and desalinates the groundwater of the Hueco Bolson for use by El Paso and Fort Bliss . This reverse - osmosis plant protects the fresh groundwater supplies from invasion by more brackish water . This plant is currently the largest non - seawater desalination plant in the world . Geography . The Fort Bliss CDP is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau , the CDP has a total area of 6 . 2 square miles ( 16 . 0 km² ) , all of it land . In terms of its United States physiographic region , it is a southern part of the Basin and Range Province . Bunker 11507 . An investigation into above - ground dirt - covered bunkers located on the military reservation was opened in June 2013 . These former nuclear weapons bunkers were used by the Air Force during the Cold War , when Biggs Air Force Base was a SAC base . Low level radiation was detected in Bunker 11057 . The bunker interiors were previously painted with epoxy paint to contain the radiation , and the paint has now chipped . The radiation contamination is confined to the area around the bunker . The area was closed on July 11 , 2013 . Demographics . As of the census of 2000 , there were 8 , 264 people , 1 , 527 households , and 1 , 444 families residing on the post . The population density was 1 , 340 . 1 people per square mile ( 517 . 1 / km² ) . There were 2 , 309 housing units at an average density of 374 . 4 / sq mi ( 144 . 5 / km² ) . The racial makeup of the post was 58 . 1 % White , 25 . 1 % African American , 2 . 4 % Asian , 1 . 3 % Native American , 0 . 7 % Pacific Islander , 8 . 9 % from other races , and 3 . 5 % from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19 . 3 % of the population . There were 1 , 527 households out of which 80 . 0 % had children under the age of 18 living with them , 84 . 5 % were married couples living together , 8 . 2 % had a female householder with no husband present , and 5 . 4 % were non - families . 4 . 9 % of all households were made up of individuals and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older . The average household size was 3 . 54 and the average family size was 3 . 62 . On the post the population was spread out with 29 . 3 % under the age of 18 , 33 . 6 % from 18 to 24 , 34 . 7 % from 25 to 44 , 2 . 3 % from 45 to 64 , and 0 . 1 % who were 65 years of age or older . The median age was 22 years . For every 100 females there were 167 . 0 males . For every 100 females age 18 and over , there were 204 . 8 males . The median income for a household on the post was $ 35 , 970 , and the median income for a family was $ 34 , 679 . Males had a median income of $ 19 , 920 versus $ 17 , 227 for females . The per capita income for the post was $ 13 , 201 . About 9 . 5 % of families and 11 . 0 % of the population were below the poverty line , including 12 . 5 % of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over .