Fort Jackson ( South Carolina ) Fort Jackson is a United States Army installation , which TRADOC operates on for Basic Combat Training ( BCT ) , and is located in Columbia , South Carolina . This installation is named for Andrew Jackson , a United States Army General and President of the United States of America who was born in the border region of North and South Carolina . Overview . Fort Jackson was created in 1917 ( as Camp Jackson ) as the United States entered World War I . At the conclusion of World War I , Camp Jackson was shut down and the Camp was abandoned 25 April 1922 pursuant to General Orders No . 33 , War Department , 27 July 1921 . Camp Jackson was reactivated for World War II . At the conclusion of World War II , the post was to have been deactivated by 1950 ; however , the outbreak of the Korean War caused the post to remain active and it is still functioning in the early 21st Century . Fort Jackson is the largest and most active Initial Entry Training Center in the U . S . Army , training 50 percent of all soldiers and 70 percent of the women entering the Army each year . Providing the Army with new soldiers is the post ' s primary mission . Accomplishing this mission means training in excess of 45 , 000 basic training and advanced individual training soldiers annually . The training is provided by the 165th , 171st , and 193rd Infantry Brigades . The post has other missions as well . While some military installations have experienced downsizing and closure in past years , Fort Jackson has added several new schools and training institutions since 1995 including the U . S . Army Soldier Support Institute , the Department of Defense Chaplain Center and School , and the Defense Academy for Credibility Assessment . In 2007 the Army consolidated all of its training facilities for Drill Sergeants at Fort Jackson , and in 2009 Command Sergeant Major Teresa King became the first woman to head what is now the sole Drill Sergeant School for the U . S . Army . The fort encompasses more than of land , including over 100 ranges and field training sites and 1160 buildings . Other expansion and improvement projects have been completed or are in progress . New projects include a Post Exchange complex , an Emergency Services Center and a Navy Reserve Center . A $ 4 . 5 million family water park opened in the summer of 2004 and a new barracks complex and central energy plant costing $ 59 million have been completed . Soldiers , civilians , retirees and family members make up the Fort Jackson community that continues to grow in numbers and facilities . An additional 14 , 000 soldiers attend courses at the Soldier Support Institute , Chaplain Center and School and Drill Sergeant School annually . Thirty - six hundred active duty soldiers and their 10 , 000 family members are assigned to the installation and make this area their home . Fort Jackson employs almost 4 , 400 civilians and provides services for more than 115 , 000 retirees and their family members . Located in the heart of the midlands region of South Carolina , Fort Jackson was incorporated into the city of Columbia in October 1968 and is midway between New York and Miami . Columbia has direct access to three interstate highways , I - 20 , 26 and I - 77 , and indirect access to two additional interstates within , I - 95 and I - 85 . Average temperatures in the region range from a high of 90 + °F ( 32 °C ) in July to a low of 34 °F ( 1 °C ) in January . Annual rainfall averages around . The fort has a significant economic impact on the local area . Annual expenditures by Fort Jackson exceed $ 716 . 9 million for salaries , utilities , contracts and other services . In addition , over 100 , 000 family members visit the Midlands area each year to attend basic training graduation activities , using local hotels , restaurants and shopping areas . In the film " Renaissance Man " , scenes from the fictional " Fort McClane " were filmed at Fort Jackson .