Military

Charles E. Kelly Support Facility (CEKSF)

As a sub-installation of Fort Dix, NJ, the mission of the Charles E. Kelly Support Facility (CEKSF), Oakdale, Pa is providing vital installation support services to service members of all military branches, their dependents, civilians and retirees in order to promote an efficient, effective readiness posture while enhancing the quality of life for our customers in our geographic area of responsibility.

Headquarters, U. S. Army Support Detachment, Oakdale, moved from South Psark Military Reservation an integral park of the Pennsylvania Milititary District, located in a county park of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, in 1961 to its present location near Oakdale, Pennsylvania.

The facility was first occupied by Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 18th Artillery Group (AD and the 662d Radar Squadron (USAF). The installation provided logistical support to the Air Defense Missile Master site and nine Nike sites along with 124 Military Constructed Army (MCA) family housing units located in groups of 12 and 16 single units to provide housing for the military personnel required to man the missile control and lalunching sites surrounding the metropolitan Pittsburgh area.

In 1962. the Federal Aviation Administration assumed part of the radar mission from the Air Force and in 1972 assumed the complete radar mission. In 1974, the 18th Artillery Group (AD) was inactivated, leaving US Army Support Detachment and the Federal Aviation Administration as the remaining activities at Oakdale. The Nike Sites were all closed, but the MCA housing units remained active to serve all branches of the military service eligible for government housing. The housing unitss were inactivated and disposed of through BRAC 95. Approximately 72 of the 201 acres of land were released to the Department of the Interior in 1974 for the Legacy of Parks program.

In September 1974, FORSCOM approved a plan for continued support of reserve components in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. This reorganization and consolidation of the US Army Support Detachment was focused on increasing the readiness of the 99th ARCOM (encompassing 11,870 personnel and 14,829 major pieces of equipment) and its major units consisting of an artillery group, a petroleum group, an ordance group, a field depot, two artillery battalions, a supply and storage battalion, a personnel and administration battalion, a general hospital and three USAR schools. The US Army Support Detachsment continued to provide base support functions to units of the 83d ARCOM located in Ohio, US Army Readiness Group, 14 ROTC activities, land the Armed Services Recruiters.

In 1977, Forces Command implemented tahe one-post concept, inactivating Headquarters, US Army Support Detachment. The post was redsignated at the Oakdale Army Support Element, and those support activities remaining were transferred to the existing Directorships of Fort Indiantown Gap, Annville, Pennsylvania. In 1983, Oakdale Support Element became a subinstallation of Fort George G. Meade, Md. In 1987, the facility was designated as the Charles E. Kelly Support Facility (CEKSF). In 1988, it became Garrison Headquarters under First US Army and 1993 CEKSF was realigned under Fort Drum, NY, and as of 1 October 1997 realigned under Fort Dix and the US Army Reserve Command, Atlanta, Ga.

The mission of the Directorate of Public Works is to support the Charles E. Kelly Support Facility and its tenants; Army and Air Force Exchange Service, Federal Aviation Administration, Community Club, Commissary, the Pittsburgh Readiness Group, the Maintenance and Repair Facility at Neville Island, the 99th ARCOM with approximately 66 U.S. Army Reserve facilities located in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.