JOINT FORCES HEADQUARTERS BUILDING PREDESIGN
Washington Military Department | Camp Murray, Washington
Completed: 2022
In each state, the Joint Force Headquarters (JFHQ) facility provides command and control of all National Guard units within that state. In Washington State, JFHQ functions operate from 15 separate buildings (14 on Camp Murray and one on Joint Base Lewis-McChord). This project originated with the desire to consolidate these command functions of the Washington Military Department, Washington Army National Guard, and Washington Air National Guard into a facility optimized for efficiency and better able to promote readiness. Planning for the JFHQ originated in the early 1990s with a predesign study for what was then called the State Area Regional Command Readiness Center, but this project did not receive design/construction funding. Subsequent planning efforts in 2006/2007 were similarly unable to secure funding. The need for a consolidated JFHQ was underscored again with the Washington Military Department’s 2012 25-Year Statewide Facilities Plan, which identified development of an JFHQ as one of its eight highest priority projects.
The proposed project provides a modern regional training center that meets the multi-level training and operational requirements for 28 directorates (i.e. sub-organizations within the Washington Military Department, Washington Army National Guard, and Washington Air National Guard). SWL worked with the Washington Military Department’s Construction and Facilities Management Office, along with representatives from each directorate group, to develop functional square footage and adjacency requirements for the project, all documented in a comprehensive predesign report that was approved by the WA State Legislature. This approval led to additional design support funding in 2023 and full project design and construction funding in 2025.