Fort Monmouth, New Jersey
The installation was originally named Camp Little Silver and was responsible for training the 1st and 2nd Reserve Signal Battalions. It was renamed Camp Alfred Vail shortly after its establishment in 1917. The Chief Signal Officer authorized the purchase of Camp Vail in 1919. The Signal Corps School relocated to Camp Vail from Fort Leavenworth that year. The Signal Corps Board followed in 1924.
The installation was granted permanent status and was renamed Fort Monmouth in August 1925. It was named in honor of the soldiers of the American Revolution who died in the battle of Monmouth Court House.
The first permanent structure at Fort Monmouth, the barracks building on Barker Circle, was built in 1928.
In 1929, the Signal Corps’ Electrical Laboratory of Washington and the Signal Corps’ Research Laboratory of New York merged with the Radio Laboratories at Fort Monmouth to form the consolidated “Signal Corps Laboratories.” Squier Hall was built to house these laboratories in 1935.
Russel Hall was completed in 1936 and is now the Fort Monmouth Garrison Headquarters.
Additional property was purchased in 1941 for Camp Coles, Camp Wood, and Camp Evans. Field Laboratories were located at these sites.
In 1949, the Signal Corps Center was established and consolidated many existing Signal functions to include: the Signal Corps Engineering Laboratories, the Signal Corps Board, Signal School, Signal Corps Publications Agency, Signal Corps Intelligence Unit, Pigeon Breeding and Training Center, the Army portion of the Electro Standards Agency, and the Signal Corps troop units.
The forerunner of the Army Air Corps and the U.S. Air Force had its roots at Fort Monmouth. In 1928, the first radio-equipped meteorological balloon soared into the upper reaches of the atmosphere, a forerunner of a weather sounding technique universally used today. In 1938, the first U.S. aircraft detection radar was developed here. In 1946, space communications was proved feasible when the Diana Radar was used to bounce electronic signals off the moon.
The Myer Center was constructed in 1954 at the Camp Wood site to house the Signal Corps Laboratories.
The pigeon service was discontinued in 1957 due to advances in communication systems. Many courier pigeons were sold at auction, while “hero” pigeons with distinguished service records were donated to zoos.
The Patterson Army Health Clinic was dedicated in 1958. The mission of the clinic is to provide and coordinate high quality care for all beneficiaries in the highest tradition of military medicine, while promoting optimal health and maintaining readiness. Patterson Clinic is now home to Monmouth County’s first Veterans’ Affairs Health Clinic.
The Army disbanded the technical services and established the Electronics Command (ECOM) at Fort Monmouth in 1962. This CECOM predecessor was charged with managing Signal research, development, and logistics support. As a subordinate element of the newly formed Army Material Command (AMC), ECOM encompassed the Signal Research and Development Laboratories, the Signal Materiel Support Agency, the Signal Supply Agency and its various procurement offices, and other Signal Corps logistics support activities.
The 754th Ordnance Company (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) came to Fort Monmouth from Camp Kilmer in 1966. Their mission is to train police, fire and public officials in explosive ordnance disposal and bomb threat search techniques, as well as to reduce the hazard of domestic or foreign conventional nuclear, chemical, biological and improvised explosive ordnance that personnel or outside activities may encounter. They left Fort Monmouth in November 2008.
In 1974 ECOM leased the GSA Office Building in Tinton Falls to house logistics and management support organizations, and closed operations in Philadelphia and Camp Coles. That same year, the Signal School began its move to Fort Gordon. By the time this move was completed in 1976, the United States Military Academy Preparatory School (USMAPS) had moved to Fort Monmouth. The mission of USMAPS is to prepare selected candidates for admission to the United States Military Academy.
ECOM was fragmented in January 1978 on the recommendation of the Army Materiel Acquisition Review Committee (AMARC) in order to form the following three Commands and one Activity: The Communications and Electronics Materiel Readiness Command (CERCOM), the Communications Research and Development Command (CORADCOM), the Electronics Research and Development Command (ERADCOM), and the Avionics Research and Development Activity (AVRADA).
The U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School moved to Fort Monmouth in 1979. This was the Army's only training center for the clergy. It conducted resident training for over 1,000 students every year, including 700 enlisted chaplain activity specialists and 300 chaplains in both the officer basic and advanced courses. The Chaplain School moved to Fort Jackson, SC in 1995 as a result of a BRAC commission decision.
The Communications - Electronics Command (CECOM) officially stood up in 1981.
The 513th Military Intelligence Group moved to Fort Monmouth in 1982, at which point it became a brigade. The brigade was activated in response to increasing military requirements to provide rapid and accurate intelligence support to military commanders responsible for planning and executing peacetime, contingency, and wartime operations. The 513th Military Intelligence Brigade left Fort Monmouth for Fort Gordon in 1994.
In 1993, the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission mandated the closing of the Evans Area, Vint Hill Farms Station, and the Command Office Building in Tinton Falls. Additionally, CECOM gained some missions and personnel from the Fort Belvoir Research and Development Center.
In 1995, BRAC ordered the relocation of the avionics logistics support mission from St. Louis to Fort Monmouth.
Fort Monmouth is now the home of the CECOM Life Cycle Management Command (LCMC). The major organizations that are now located at Fort Monmouth include the Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM), the Program Executive Office for Command, Control and Communications Tactical (PEO C3T), and the Program Executive Office for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors (PEO IEWS). These organizations, together with the Program Executive Office for Enterprise Information Systems (PEO EIS) and the Communications-Electronics Research, Development, and Engineering Center (CERDEC), are known as Team Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (Team C4ISR).
On post housing is available through the Carlisle Monmouth Picatinny Communities (CMPC) Housing Program.