Camp Blanding
| Camp Blanding Joint Training Center | |
|---|---|
| Clay County, near Starke, Florida | |
 |
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| Coordinates | 29°57′07″N 81°58′48″W / 29.9519°N 81.9799°WCoordinates: 29°57′07″N 81°58′48″W / 29.9519°N 81.9799°W |
| Type | Military Reservation |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | Florida National Guard |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1940 |
| In use | 1940–present |
Camp Blanding Joint Training Center is the primary military reservation and training base for the Florida National Guard, both the Florida Army National Guard and certain non-flying activities of the Florida Air National Guard. The installation is located in Clay County, Florida near the city of Starke. The site measures approximately 73,000 acres (300 km²) and includes Kingsley Lake. It also hosts other Reserve, Army National Guard, Air National Guard, and some Active Component training for the U.S. Armed Forces.
Additionally, Camp Blanding serves as a training center for many ROTC units, both Army and Naval. Jacksonville University and University of South Florida NROTC Battalions continue to conduct their week-long orientation at Camp Blanding each August before the college semester starts. Camp Blanding also hosts the Audie Murphy field training exercise where Army ROTC units from more than a dozen Florida, Georgia, and Puerto Rican universities gather to conduct a five-day field problem focusing on small-unit tactics, land navigation, and leadership development every April.
Camp Blanding is the primary training site for most of the Florida National Guard's military units and the main combat arms brigade, the 53rd Infantry Brigade of the Florida Army National Guard. It is also home to the headquarters and support companies of the 3-20th Special Forces Group, the 211th Infantry Regiment, and the 2-111th Airfield Operations Battalion (AOB) Aviation Regiment.
Camp Blanding also houses several non-flying units of the Florida Air National Guard, including the 202nd RED HORSE Squadron, 159th Weather Flight, 131st Training Flight(TRF), and the joint Army/Air Force 44th Civil Support Team. The base is also a training location for several counter-drug units and law enforcement agencies in Florida and functions as the alternate Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for the state of Florida.
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