Fort Gillem Army Base, Georgia
Longitude: -84.338
Current Role: Largely closed as of 2011. A 259-acre Army Enclave remains active
The name was selected in memory of Lieutenant General Alvan C. Gillem, Jr., who began his career as a private at Fort McPherson in 1910 and retired 40 years later as commanding general of Third U.S. Army, now headquartered at Fort McPherson.
Fort Gillem, in Forest Park, Georgia, is a satellite installation of Headquarters, U. S. Army Garrison, Fort McPherson, Georgia. Fort Gillem was formerly known as the Atlanta Army Depot and the Atlanta General Depot before that.
For almost 60 years, the Fort Gillem and Clayton County communities have worked side by side. The relationship began in 1941 when the Atlanta General Depot moved its Candler Warehouse to what is now Fort Gillem.
The depot saw many name changes as it served as trainer and supplier throughout World War II, the Korean Conflict, the Berlin Airlift, the Cuban Crisis and the Vietnam War. Thousands of soldiers trained at the installation's facilities, and tons of equipment destined for the war zones processed through the warehouse system.
On June 28, 1973, responsibility for the installation was transferred from Army Materiel Command to U.S. Army Forces Command, renamed Fort Gillem and made a satellite installation of Fort McPherson.
Fort Gillem is home to First U. S. Army, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (Atlanta Distribution Center), 3D Military Police Group (CID) United States Army Criminal Investigation Command, 2nd Recruiting Brigade, 52nd Ordnance Group and the Equipment Concentration Site for the 81st Regional Support Command. Many Army, Department of Defense and government organizations call Fort Gillem home.
On May 13, 2005, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended that Fort Gillem, along with Fort McPherson, be closed. An exit ceremony was held on June 3, 2011, and First Army troops were transferred to Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois. A portion of 1,168 acres of the total 1,427 acres was closed and surplused in 2011; the remaining 259 acres was retained as the Army Enclave.
In 2012, after five years of negotiations with the Army, the City of Forest Park purchased 1,170 acres comprising most of the former Fort Gillem for $30 million. The redevelopment plan envisions an industrial and logistics hub, well-positioned given its proximity to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and rail connections to the Port of Savannah.
Most recently, a historic $556 million federal funding bill for military construction projects across Georgia included $166 million for a new evidence storage facility at Fort Gillem, signed into law on November 12, 2025. Fort Gillem now serves as a logistics and law enforcement hub, and the new facility is expected to generate hundreds of jobs in construction, logistics, and support services.
