Every Marine Corps Base in America and What It’s Used For

Where is every Marine Corps base in the United States? The Marines act as a vanguard and the first in the fray no matter the conflict. Despite this reputation, they still maintain a domestic presence for training, deployment of air vehicles, and serving the nation’s capital.

Marine Corps Air Station Yuma

Location: Yuma, Arizona

Use: Air garrison

Air Station Yuma has a fascinating history when as a Marine Corps base. It previously served as an Air Force training facility before being transferred to the Marines in 1959. These days it serves as the home for high-tech Marine aircraft like the F-35B.

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar

Location: Miramar, California

Use: Air garrison

Much like the previous entry, Air Station Miramar wasn’t always a Marine Corps base. Its early history saw it being used by the Army Air Corps before transferring to the Marines in the 1990s. You’ll find electronic warfare aircraft as well as fighters and bombers here.

Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

Location: Oceanside, California

Use: West Coast deployments, training

Base Camp Pendelton is the major Marine Corps base for West Coast activity. The MEF or Marine Expeditionary Force is stationed here and this serves as the unit’s departure point before going overseas. It has served as a Marine base since 1942.

Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton

Location: Oceanside, California

Use: Air garrison

Air Station Camp Pendleton is yet another Marine Corps base that sees its origin during the Second World War. These days it serves as a garrison for tactical helicopters, observation aircraft, and aviation logistics.

Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms

Location: Twentynine Palms, California

Use: Garrison for air and land-based units

Twentynine Palms is the largest Marine Corps base in the United States, taking up around 1,100 square miles of area and having two separate zip codes dedicated to it. It serves as a training and deployment facility for both land-based and air units under the Marine Corps.

Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow

Location: Barstow, California

Use: Repair and maintenance of land vehicles

The Marine Corps functions fairly independently compared to other services. As such, it needs dedicated Marine Corps bases to maintain and repair land vehicles. Barstow is one such facility, providing repair facilities and logistical support for ground units.

Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego

Location: San Diego, California

Use: Training

There are two main Marine Corps base locations when it comes to processing and training recruits. If you’re on the West Coast, you’ll get shipped to Recruit Depot San Diego which has served as a primary training facility since 1919.

Mountain Warfare Training Center

Location: Bridgeport, California

Use: Specialized training

Every sort of terrain has its own combat needs, and fighting in mountains requires specialized training. There is a dedicated Marine Corps base for mountain fighting, the Mountain Warfare Training Center. This has been in operation since 1951, helping to train personnel for fighting in the mountainous Korean War.

Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany

Location: Albany, Georgia

Use: Repair and maintenance of land vehicles

Much like Logistic Base Barstow, Logistics Base Albany services land vehicles and provides logistical support to ground units. However, this is an East Coast base, as you’ll see throughout the rest of this guide when it comes to Marine Corps base locations in the United States.

Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz

Location: Dededo, Guam

Use: Operational base for Pacific deployment

Base Camp Blaz is the newest Marine Corps base to open, officially starting operations in 2023. It serves as a forward base for Marines intended for deployments in Pacific theaters with an estimated 5,000 Marines stationed there year-round.

Marine Corps Base Hawaii

Location: Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii

Use: Air station and garrison

Base Hawaii has served as a Marine Corps base since 1951, operating as both an air station and garrison for coastal forces in the Marine Corps. Currently, the base serves as the home of the 3rd Marine Regiment alongside other combat and communication units.

Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay

Location: Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii

Use: Air garrison

The Marine Corps took control of Air Station Kaneohe Bay in 1952, using it as a training facility and airfield for Marine Aircraft Group 24. Its open location makes it an ideal place for Marine aviators to learn the ropes as well as giving great strike capabilities due to its location as a Marine Corps base.

Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point

Location: Havelock, North Carolina

Use: Air garrison

Air power is a crucial thing in modern warfare. As such, it only stands to reason that there would be multiple Marine Corps bases on both coasts to provide staging points. Currently, the base serves as the home of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.

Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune

Location: Jacksonville, North Carolina

Use: Garrison and training

As previously discussed, the Marines operate multiple bases on both coasts to address needs globally. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune is one such facility, offering up valuable training and integration for local high school students and serving as a garrison for Marine special forces and the II Marine Expeditionary Force.

Marine Corps Air Station New River

Location: Jacksonville, North Carolina

Use: Air garrison

Air Station New River serves as a sister location for Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, brought out by the need for a new airfield. The base currently serves as another home for the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing and holds the distinction of being the first base to deploy the MV-22 Osprey.

Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort

Location: Beaufort, South Carolina

Use: Air garrison

After taking control of new aircraft, you need a place to train aviators and acclimate them to their operation. Air Station Beaufort is one such Marine Corps base operating on the East Coast and serves as a current training facility for the F-35B that recently entered Marine service.

Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island

Location: Beaufort, South Carolina

Use: Training

If you’re a Marine recruit on the East Coast, you’ll end up at Parris Island. Much like Recruit Depot San Diego, Parris Island serves as one of the main training facilities for fresh Marines entering the service. It has been in constant use since 1915.

Marine Corps Base Quantico

Location: Quantico, Virginia

Use: Training

There are some truly old Marine Corps bases as you’ll find with our last few entries. Base Quantico has been in operation since 1918 and serves as a training facility for the Marines beyond what they’ll go through in basic training.

Henderson Hall

Location: Arlington, Virginia

Use: Marine Headquarters

Henderson Hall is located near Arlington National Cemetery, with the graveyard being visible from the base. As you may have guessed, there are quite a few uses for the main headquarters of the United States Marine Corps. Henderson Hall serves as the main headquarters, a purpose it has served since 1941.

Marine Barracks, Washington D.C.

Location: Washington D.C.

Use: Funeral escort, honor guard, security, parades, training

Marine Barracks is the oldest Marine Corps base in the United States, opening up for use in 1801. It still serves as a Marine Corps facility, but primarily for highly visible activities like funeral escorts, honor guard deployment, security for federal government officials, and parades among many uses.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Ozgur Coskun/Shutterstock.com.