By Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs Office
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (January 7, 2026) — The Fort Leonard Wood Visitor Center, located just outside the Main Gate, is scheduled to begin new hours of operation Jan. 11.
The Visitor Center, which is usually open 24/7, will be closing daily from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Security Guard Chief Randy Wood, with the Directorate of Emergency Services, said these changes are temporary and are due to limited resources.
“It will reopen to 24 hours once resources will allow,” Wood added.
Until then, visitors arriving between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. will still be able to apply for temporary post access.
“Visitors should continue to the lanes when the visitor center is closed. The guards will do the required checks and issue temporary passes if everything is good,” Wood said.
He added that security guards will be able to provide instructions should a visitor need a longer pass.
“We apologize for any inconvenience this change may cause. Our team is committed to keeping the installation safe and secure, and we appreciate the community’s patience as we work through these resourcing challenges,” Wood said.
For more gate and access information, visit Fort Leonard Wood’s access control page.
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About Fort Leonard Wood
Fort Leonard Wood is a thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a small basic training post more than 75 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains more than 80,000 military and civilians each year.
Fort Leonard Wood is home to the U.S Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and three U.S. Army schools: the U.S. Army Engineer School; U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School; and the U.S. Army Military Police School. In addition to training engineer, CBRN and military police specialties for the Army, Fort Leonard Wood also provides gender-integrated in-processing and Basic Combat Training for new Soldiers.
Fort Leonard Wood also hosts and trains with the largest Marine Corps Detachment and Air Force Squadron on any Army installation as well as a large Navy construction detachment.