Gaining entry to Fort Belvoir is getting tougher in recent days as the military base has encountered a couple of events that directly impact their hiring of guards to pass vehicles onto base.

According to their description, the base is experiencing “significant staffing and hiring challenges that impact daily gate operations,” it said, and this not only impacts members of the military but also civilians in the Mount Vernon area that work for the Army at Fort Belvoir.

The title of a Belvoir website page describes the challenge, "Who’s Willing to Man the Gate? Fort Belvoir works to keep gates open among hiring freeze and other obstacles." The base is home to over 150 companies that support the Army on Belvoir and they only have 28 employees to watch the gates. To cover all the shifts they need 11 more people to fill guard and police vacancies. Officials are facing difficulties hiring qualified candidates, so the lines at the gates are moving slowly. 

"Several guards left for higher-paying jobs during the recent government shutdown, further straining staffing levels," it said on their website.

With fewer guards available, the Army has consolidated operations to Farrar Gate at the airfield, which is accessed off the Fairfax County Parkway; Tulley Gate on Richmond Highway; Lieber Gate; and Kingman Gate off Telegraph Road. They are all operating on limited schedules.

Belvoir only has 45 soldiers in their law enforcement department, they say on their website. Some of their gates are being repaired too so that's another factor that's hurting the flow of traffic.

“I understand this is a big problem,” said Garrison Commander, Col. David Stewart. “We hear the complaints on a daily basis, and I want the Service members, Veterans and civilians that work, live and play on Fort Belvoir to know that I and the rest of my garrison command team are doing everything in our power to work on creative solutions to this growing issue,” said Stewart.