Its geographic location provides rapid access to the deepwater ports of Tacoma, Olympia, and Seattle for deploying equipment.

The strategic location of the base provides Air Force units with the ability to conduct combat and humanitarian airlift with the C-17 Globemaster III.

[2] Fort Lewis is a United States Army base located 9.1 miles (14.6 km) south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington.

Fort Lewis's geographic location provides rapid access to the deep water ports of Tacoma, Olympia and Seattle for deploying equipment.

The strategic location of the base provide Air Force units with the ability to conduct combat and humanitarian airlifts with the C-17 Globemaster III.

I Corps stays prepared to deploy on short notice worldwide to command up to five divisions or a joint task force.

[3] On 5 February 2004, Task Force Olympia was activated, as a sub-element of I Corps headquarters with the mission to command forward-deployed units in Iraq.

Task Force Olympia included units from all three components of the Army (Active, Reserve and National Guard) as well as Marine and Australian officers.

Task Force Olympia's subordinate units included the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, which deployed for Iraq on 8 November 2003, and returned to Fort Lewis after one year of combat duty, and the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, which departed Fort Lewis on 15 September 2004, for one year and returned September 2005.

This initiative was driven by the Base Realignment and Closure Round in 2005 and is designed to combine current infrastructure into one maximizing war fighting capability and efficiency, while saving taxpayer dollars.

[7][8] Units trained at Fort Lewis would serve with distinction in both the Pacific and European theaters during World War II.

McChord Field served as a critical piece of defense infrastructure during World War II, training bomber aircraft pilots who would participate in the allied invasion of Italy, southern France, and the Doolittle Raid.

[19] The Joint Base Headquarters (JBHQ) operates the installation to support the warfighting units, their families and the extended military community.

[2] With an Army joint base commander and an Air Force deputy joint base commander, the JBHQ supports the installation through directorates and agencies that provide a full range of city services and quality-of-life functions; everything from facility maintenance recreation and family programs to training support and emergency services.

Other partners who work closely with the JBHQ include the Civilian Personnel Advisory Center, the Mission and Installation Contracting Command and Joint Personal Property Shipping Office.