Why are some American miltary bases called Fort X and some Camp X?

[onodera]

What is the difference between them?

[BeBMan]

A fort has walls, a camp watchtowers.

[Agathon]

What is the difference between them?

The forts have fortifications and the camps are camp.

[onodera]

You say forts are real forts, with fortifications able to withstand modern ordnance? Or that they used to be forts back in the time of breech-loading rifles and bloodthirsty Indians and just kept the name?

[Tuberski]

A fort is Army, a camp is the Marines.

ACK!

[Lorizael]

Hey guys, he's a Russian! Stop giving away our military secrets to the enemy!

[Grandpa Troll]

A fort is Army, a camp is the Marines.

ACK!

I am a U S Army vet, Tuber is correct.

Historically, the U S Army trained at "Camps" during WW II, Camp Mackall, Camp Darby, Camp Frank B Merrill, Camp Hovey, ... there are plenty of Army camps too.

Generally, the difference between the two refers to infrastructure and permanence at the time the base was established. BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) has changed the way our military bases are set up, so the names "Camp" and "Fort" have lost some of their original meaning. A Fort was a fortified, larger, and more permanent base. And, a Camp was smaller, with more flexibility. Originally, Fort Benning was Camp Benning... fyi.

Branch vernacular determines the usual name for a duty station too: the Air Force calls it a base; the Army a post.

[onodera]

Hey guys, he's a Russian! Stop giving away our military secrets to the enemy!

Damn, you saw through my disguise! I thought I had everyone fooled by my McCain mask!

[Kuciwalker]

You say forts are real forts, with fortifications able to withstand modern ordnance? Or that they used to be forts back in the time of breech-loading rifles and bloodthirsty Indians and just kept the name?

I'd assume it's the latter. We haven't actually needed fortifications on this continent for almost 150 years.

[BlackCat]

I'd assume it's the latter. We haven't actually needed fortifications on this continent for almost 150 years.

Fixed

[Verto]

What is the difference between them?

Like GT said, it's a distinction based on the permanence and purpose of the army postt, and can go back and forth depending on the army's needs. For example, Fort Wolters has reverted back and forth to Camp Wolters. The 'Fort' is just leftover vocabulary.

[Dinner]

A fort is Army, a camp is the Marines.

ACK!

Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!

[Blaupanzer]

Black Cat's fix is incorrect. 150 years ago is 1869. The indian wars lasted into the 1870s in terms of forts, etc. The end of the Civil War/War between the States did not end the need for forts in the US.

Once upon a time the Army term "fort" indicated permanent bases located mostly in the South and the West. Camps were activated as meeded. These were used by National Guard and training operations. These designations ceased to have meaning during the Reagan administration when lots of Camps were redignated Forts, and the administrative and appropriation designations were blurred.

When you sell this to Putin's boys, get a good price, onodera.

Now the real question: what does "onodera" mean?

[BlackCat]

Black Cat's fix is incorrect. 150 years ago is 1869. The indian wars lasted into the 1870s in terms of forts, etc. The end of the Civil War/War between the States did not end the need for forts in the US.

Well, I may not have fixed Kuci's claim 100 % but I at least made it sensible

[TCO]

you don't forts to deal with Indians in the 1870s. Just hunt them down.