A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a command center, training ground or proving ground. In most cases, military bases rely on outside help to operate. However, certain complex bases are able to endure on their own for long periods because they are able to provide food, water, and other necessities for their inhabitants while under siege. Bases for military aviation are called military air bases, or simply "air bases". Bases for military ships are called naval bases.
Military bases within the United States are considered federal property and are subject to federal law. Civilians (such as family members of military officers) living on military bases are generally subject to the civil and criminal laws of the states where the bases are located. Military bases can range from small outposts to military cities containing up to 100,000 people. A military base may belong to a different nation or state than the territory surrounding it.
The name used generally refers to the type of military activity that takes place at the base, as well as the traditional nomenclature used by a branch of service.
A military base may go by any of a number of names, such as the following:
Ammunition dump
Armory
Arsenal
Barracks
Cantonment
Casern
Combat outpost (COP)
DoDAAC
Facility
Fire support base (FSB, FB)
Forward Operating Base (FOB)
Fortification
Garrison
Installation
Joint base
Magazine
Main Operating Base (MOB)
Marine Corps base
Military airbase, airfield or field
Military camp
Naval air station
Naval base
Naval dockyard
Observation post
Outpost (OP)
Presidio
Proving ground
Reservation
Shipyard or yard
Station
Depending on the context, the term "military base" may refer to any establishment (usually permanent) that houses a nation's armed forces, or even organized paramilitary forces such as the Police, Constabulary, Militia, or Guards.