BELLEFONTAINE NEIGHBORS, Mo.—Two Missouri National Guard companies will have a new home when work on a $27.3 million readiness center is finished in the summer of 2026, officials said Monday at a groundbreaking ceremony for the project.

The 60,000+ square foot facility, which is being built on property off Highway 367 near Interstate 270 that will be leased from the Missouri Department of Transportation until 2053, is the first new National Guard armory built in the state in roughly 20 years.

Units have been spread out at various facilities in the St. Louis region in recent years, including Jefferson Barracks, the former Air National Guard site at St. Louis Lambert International Airport and leased space in Bellefontaine Neighbors. 

When complete, the new complex, which will include an assembly hall, classrooms, a kitchen, office space and work bays for vehicle maintenance, will be home to the 3175th Chemical Company and 1138th Transportation Company. 

“They’re really preparing our soldiers, our men and women, for whatever challenges they may face. These are the kind of facilities you gotta have, and you gotta get ‘em built and being ready for when that day comes,” said Gov. Mike Parson, noting that the Missouri National Guard has taken on more assignments during his tenure than any other governor, ranging from natural disaster and civil unrest response in the state, to assignments at the U.S.-Mexico border and elsewhere abroad.

“The one thing we all know they’re always ready to do their jobs…anything we can do to make them more ready is what we should do and that’s what this facility is all about. It’s a great location to do this, and it’ll be good for the community,” he said. 

The facility will be a permanent home for a handful of Missouri National Guard staff, in addition to roughly 300 guardsmen and women connected to the units.