Base Guides

A framework for evaluating a duty station before you PCS

A PCS to a new installation is not just a job change. It shapes housing costs, school choices, commute patterns, childcare wait lists, spouse employment options, and access to medical care for the next 2–4 years. Military families typically need to make the "where do we live and where do our kids go to school" decision within two weeks of receiving orders, often before the gaining unit's sponsor program has connected the family with anyone on the ground. The objective of these guides is to compress that decision down to one page per installation — the same eight categories that matter at every base, organized so two installations can be compared apples-to-apples.

The eight categories every guide covers

The directory below covers 198 installations across all six service branches and the major host-nation OCONUS communities. Bases are grouped by U.S. state (or country, for OCONUS) and labeled with the service that owns the installation. Joint bases and tenant relationships are noted. Each detailed guide covers the same eight sections so a family considering Fort Bragg and Fort Hood, or Ramstein and Kadena, can compare them on identical axes: Housing (on-base privatized partner and wait time, top off-base neighborhoods with BAH-relative rent levels), Schools (district name, rating context, DoDEA presence on-base where applicable), Childcare (Child Development Center capacity and wait time, off-base options), Medical & dental (Military Treatment Facility, ER access, TRICARE Prime Service Area status), Commissary / Exchange (size and reciprocal access), Local tips (commute, climate, things to know), Real estate market, and Outdoors and recreation.

Joint bases, joint base names, and OCONUS

Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA) — comprising Lackland, Randolph, and Fort Sam Houston — is treated as a single installation. The same applies to Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), Joint Base Andrews-Naval Air Facility Washington, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling (JBAB), Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH), Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER), Joint Base Charleston, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, and Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. OCONUS coverage includes the major Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps communities in Germany (Ramstein, Spangdahlem, Wiesbaden, Stuttgart, Vilseck, Grafenwoehr, Baumholder, Vicenza), Italy (Aviano, Sigonella, Naples), United Kingdom (Lakenheath, Mildenhall, Croughton), Spain (Rota, Morón), Greece (Souda Bay), Turkey (Incirlik), Korea (Humphreys, Osan, Kunsan, Yongsan-Casey), Japan (Yokota, Misawa, Kadena, Iwakuni, Sasebo, Yokosuka), Guam (Andersen, NB Guam), and Bahrain.

BAH, OHA, and on-base housing

Each guide reflects the 2026 DTMO Basic Allowance for Housing rate for that ZIP code (CONUS) or the rank-and-rent-tier Overseas Housing Allowance ceiling (OCONUS). The housing section frames each base around the same question: at the rank you will hold during the assignment, how does the published BAH compare to the realistic rent for a dwelling that fits your family size, and what does that gap (or deficit) look like in monthly cash terms? On-base housing privatization under the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI) means most CONUS on-base housing is privately operated; the housing wait times reported reflect those private operators' lists rather than a DoD-run housing office.

Schools, DoDEA, and the rating context

School ratings vary by source and the question worth asking at any rated school is which programs matter for your specific kids — special education, gifted, dual-language immersion, advanced placement breadth, the school's track record on military-mobile transcript transfers, and the principal's approach to mid-year enrollments. A rating averages everything; your child does not. Treat ratings as a starting filter, not as a conclusion. At OCONUS bases, DoDEA (Department of Defense Education Activity) operates K–12 schools on or adjacent to most installations; DoDEA admissions, transcript transfers, and Special Education services follow DoD standards under DoDI 1342.22 rather than state-level rules.

Childcare and CDC wait lists

On-base Child Development Centers (CDCs) follow Department of Defense child-care fee structures based on Total Family Income (DoDI 6060.02). Wait lists vary widely — under 30 days at low-demand bases, 12+ months at JBSA, JBLM, Pendleton, and metro-area bases. Family Child Care (FCC) homes on-base, off-base providers using the Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood (MCCYN) subsidy program, and base-affiliated School Age Care (SAC) programs fill the gap when the CDC is full. Each guide notes both the on-base CDC wait status and what off-base options the local community offers. The decision for families with young children frequently turns on the gap between the BAH and the local cost of full-time off-base childcare during a 12-month CDC waitlist.

Use the search bar above to find a specific installation by name, city, state, or branch. See Methodology for how each profile is researched, sourced, and updated.