A military caretaker or caretaker detachment is a group of one or more personnel assigned to maintain for future use a

military base A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere ...

, or other facility that is ungarrisoned but not abandoned. Naval

reserve fleet A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed; they are partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; ...

s and military aircraft in long-term storage are also maintained by caretakers. Whether the personnel are military or civilian varies by country, branch of service, and time period.

British use

From 1688 through 1802 the Corps of Invalids was used for garrison and caretaking duties in the British Isles, freeing more capable troops for overseas service.

United States use

During the American Revolutionary War (as the Invalid Corps) and the American Civil War, the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

had organizations of wounded or chronically ill men for rear-area service, including caretaker duties. The Civil War organization was the Veteran Reserve Corps, originally the Invalid Corps. The

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

had a similar organization, the Southern Invalid Corps.Lande, R. Gregory
Invalid Corps
''Military Medicine'', Vol. 173, no. 6, 2008, pp. 525-528. Some smaller installations had only a single

ordnance sergeant Ordnance sergeant was an enlisted rank in the U.S. Army from 1832 to 1920. The Confederate States Army also had an ordnance sergeant position during its existence. Ordnance sergeants were part of the Army's Ordnance Department and were in charge o ...

as a caretaker during that rank's existence from 1832 to 1920. Between wars many coastal fortifications would be among military facilities in caretaker status. For

coast artillery Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications. From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of ...

forts, General Order No. 83 of 1913 specified caretaker detachment composition and duties in detail, requiring a minimum of one

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...

of coast artillery and three privates for each fort, also with an ordnance sergeant "when practicable". In late 1914 55 US coastal forts (including seven in Hawaii and Panama) were garrisoned, while 39 (including six overseas) were not; the latter were under construction or in caretaker status. Major General Erasmus M. Weaver Jr., Chief of Coast Artillery, testifies to Congress on coast artillery matters including an explanation of caretakers in that service.

British use

United States use

See also

References

Further reading