At A Glance: Fort Jackson CIIP
- Facility Size: 99,539 square feet (consolidating 4 previous buildings).
- Capacity: Serves more than 45,000 initial-entry trainees per year.
- Efficiency Gains: 30% more storage and 20% more space for boot fitting.
- Mission Impact: Streamlines in-processing to prioritize time for combat training and lethality.
Info card created by America’s Engineers
Initial-entry trainees into the U.S. Army who tramp through corridors of the Clothing Initial Issue Point, or CIIP, on Fort Jackson, S.C. won’t remember much about the building. If they’re lucky, they may recall a few trivial moments of their time at the 120th Adjutant General Reception Battalion (the author speaks from experience) like chugging a two-quart canteen full of water, having a drill sergeant scream in their faces or getting their first high-and-tight haircut.
Command Sgt. Maj. Derrick Braud from South Atlantic Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) command team, who processed into the U.S. Army at the same reception battalion in 1997, viewed the CIIP during a construction site visit, Feb. 18, 2026.
“Other than general impressions, I don’t remember very many details,” said Braun. “I remember the general layout of the buildings because we walked in between them every day but only saw the inside of each building space once,” he said…