Fort Pickett


By order of the Secretary of Defense, the Virginia National Guard’s Fort Barfoot military installation near Blackstone, Virginia, has been renamed as Fort Pickett, effective June 11, 2025, to honor 1st Lt. Vernon W. Pickett for his extraordinary heroism during World War II.

While pinned down by enemy machine gun fire, Pickett crawled forward and destroyed two enemy positions with grenades. After being captured, he escaped from a transport train with fellow prisoners of war and rejoined his unit before being killed in action. For his heroic actions, Pickett received the Distinguished Service Cross.

The installation was redesignated March 24, 2023, to honor Col. Van T. Barfoot, a World War II Medal of Honor recipient with extensive Virginia ties.

Located near Blackstone, Fort Pickett has more than 225 full-time state and federal employees provide support to tenant and training units on approximately 41,000 acres featuring a combination of open and wooded terrain maneuver areas and 21 ranges capable of supporting almost any weapons system in the U.S. Army inventory with barracks to support more than 5,000 personnel as well as an Army airfield operation.

Fort Pickett News

aj. Gen. James W. Ring, the Adjutant General of Virginia, Col. Eric Quinn, Fort Pickett garrison commander, and retired Col. Everton E. Nevers, the Virginia Department of Military Affairs Chief of Staff, present awards to DMA workers during a state employee recognition luncheon May 28, 2026, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. During the presentation, DMA employees were recognized for both agency-level accomplishments as well as for service anniversaries. Ring, Quinn and Nevers each gave remarks during the event, thanking the installation’s state workers for their hard work supporting the VNG and other state and federal organizations training at the installation. (U.S. National Guard photo by A.J. Coyne)
DMA employees at Fort Pickett recognized during appreciation luncheon
June 4, 2026
Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the Adjutant General of Virginia, Col. Eric Quinn, Fort Pickett garrison commander, and retired Col. Everton E. Nevers, the Virginia Department of Military Affairs Chief of Staff, presented awards to DMA workers during a state employee recognition luncheon May 28, 2026, at Fort Pickett, Virginia.
Eight Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers conducted a mountain warfare exchange with members of the Tajik military April 27 – May 1, 2026, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. The engagement was conducted in support of the Department of Defense’s State Partnership Program, in which Virginia and Tajikistan have been formal partners since 2003. The exchange focused on developing and refining mountain warfare fundamentals, while fostering collaboration between U.S. and Tajik forces.
VNG Soldiers conduct mountain warfare exchange in Tajikistan 
May 14, 2026
Eight Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers conducted a mountain warfare exchange with members of the Tajik military April 27 – May 1, 2026, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Multi-Function Reconnaissance Company, 116th Mobile Brigade Combat Team conduct a multi-domain live-fire exercise April 18, 2026, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. The MFRC incorporated new tactical unmanned aerial systems, counter-UAS capabilities and electronic warfare technology as they tackled the Automated Infantry Squad Battle Course. The exercise was the first time the unit has brought together all of the new technologies and equipment they have fielded and trained on over the last several months as part of the Army’s Transformation in Contact 2.0 initiative. Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the Adjutant General of Virginia, and Brig. Gen. Rusty McGuire, the Assistant Adjutant General for Army Strategic Initiatives were on hand to observe the training and thank the Soldiers for their hard work.
116th MBCT tests new tech during live-fire exercise
April 24, 2026
Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the Adjutant General of Virginia, and Brig. Gen. Rusty McGuire, the Assistant Adjutant General - Army Strategic Initiatives, saw some of the unit’s new capabilities put into practice during a multi-domain live-fire exercise April 18, 2026, at Fort Pickett, Virginia.
Soldiers representing the Virginia Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion and the 116th Mobile Brigade Combat Team took top honors at the 2026 VaARNG Best Warrior Competition March 15, 2026, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. Staff Sgt. Frederic Newton, assigned to VaARNG’s R&R Battalion, was named Noncommissioned Officer of the Year, and Spc. Javan Cooper, assigned to the 116th MBCT, was named Soldier of the Year. The pair bested their peers over five days of intense competition, testing their stamina, strength, knowledge and skills. Newton and Cooper will go on to represent Virginia at the Region II Best Warrior Competition at Camp Dawson, West Virginia, later this year.
Newton, Cooper tops at VaARNG Best Warrior Competition
March 17, 2026
Soldiers assigned to the Virginia Army National Guard’s Recruiting and Retention Battalion and the Staunton-based 116th Mobile Brigade Combat Team took top honors at the 2026 VaARNG Best Warrior Competition, held March 11 - 15, 2026, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. 
Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Fort Pickett-based 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute, conduct a landmark training mission with members of the Tajikistan Special Forces at Fort Pickett, Virginia. The training was conducted in support of the State Partnership Program, in which Virginia and Tajikistan have been formal partners since 2003. It was also conducted in conjunction with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism.
183rd RTI hosts Tajik partners, train on counterterrorism 
Feb. 5, 2026
Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the Fort Pickett-based 183rd Regiment, Regional Training Institute, completed a landmark training mission with members of the Tajikistan Special Forces Jan. 19-30, 2026, at Fort Pickett, Virginia. 

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Contact Fort Pickett

Switchboard
  • (434) 292-8621
Range Operations
  • (434) 292-2227 / (434) 292-8334
Directorate of Personnel and Community Activities
  • (434) 292-2327
ID Card Office
  • (434) 292-2497
  • Monday- Closed
  • Tuesday- Friday - 0800-1530
  • Closed for lunch - 1200-1230
Gym
  • (434) 292-2613
  • Monday- Thursday - 0600-1800
  • Friday- 0600- 1600
  • Closed Weekends
PX
  • (434) 292-5990
  • Mon-Wed 0900-1600
  • Thu-Fri 0900-1700
  • Sat 1000-1600
  • Sun Closed
Directorate of Public Works
  • (434) 292-8303
Directorate of Logistics
  • (434) 292-2948
Fish and Wildlife Management Program