Aberdeen Test Center, MD Installation Guide

Army Community Service Division, AMSSB-GCF-A,Bldg 2754 U.S.ARMY GARRISION ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD 21005-5000

LOCATION: Harford County is located in northeastern Maryland at the head of the Chesapeake Bay. The installation comprises two general areas being separated by the waters of Bush River. The "southern" sector is commonly referred to as the Edgewood Area (EA) and the "northern" sector is generally known as the Aberdeen Area (AA). Although both are unofficial designations, the terms provide an easy reference for locating specific units housed on post. Aberdeen itself is located 165 miles SE of New York City, 60 miles NE of Washington, DC, and 20 miles NE of Baltimore.

Description of The Community: ABERDEEN PROVING GRROUND is located in Harford County midway between Baltimore,Maryland,and Wilmington,Delaware. It embraces an area of tidewater and land which exceeds 80,000 acres and is bounded by the Susquehanna and Gunpowder River and the Chesapeake Bay as well the Penn Central Railroad. The installation is served by two major arteries, U.S.Route 40 and interstate 95,both of which connect with the New Jersey Turnpike and the Baltimore-Washington Expressway. Housing is readily available in many towns and communities within commuting distance of the installation. The county's public school system operates more than 12 elementary,middle,and high schools as well as preschool centers and special schools for the mentally and physically handicapped. Parochial and private schools are available at all levels. Major colleges and universities with graduate and undergraduate programs are located within an hour's drive from the installation, and most offer evening courses. The area offers many forms of recreation and is ideal located for trips to the ocean or mountains. There are many historic places of interest in Harford and nearby counties. Waterways and parks have been developed for recreation,sports,and cultural events through out the year. The cities if Baltimore,Wilmington,and Philadelphia offer additional cultural and recreational activities, including sports and the performing arts.

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND Aberdeen Proving Ground, the Army's oldest active proving ground, was established on October 20, 1917, six months after the United States entered World War I, to provide the military a facility where design and testing of ordnance materiel could be carried out in close proximity to the nation's industrial and shipping centers. The post officially opened on December 14, 1917, and the first gun was fired on January 2, 1918.

Aberdeen Proving Ground occupies more than 72,500 acres in Harford County, Maryland. Its northernmost point is marked by the confluence of the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay. On the south it is bordered by the Gunpowder River. The installation comprises two principal areas, separated by the Bush River. The northern area is known as the Aberdeen Area, and the southern sector, formerly Edgewood Arsenal (established in November, 1917 - as a chemical weapons research, development and testing facility), is the Edgewood Area. The two areas were administratively combined in 1971. APG property not attached to the main installation includes the Churchill Test Site in Harford County and Carroll Island and Grace's Quarters in Baltimore County. Aberdeen Proving Ground is home to more than 50 tenants and a host of satellite activities. Among the major tenants are the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (APG's parent command), U.S. Army Ordnance Center and School, U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center, U.S. Army Soldier and Biological Defense Command, U.S. Army Environmental Center, U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, Northeast Region Civilian Personnel Operations Center, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for the Chemical Defense, Program Manager for Chemical Demilitarization, 203rd MilitaryIntelligence Battalion and major elements of the Army Research Laboratory.

As a center for Army materiel testing, laboratory research and military training, the post is a key element in the nation's defense. All tanks and wheeled vehicles which have served U.S. forces for the past 50 years have been tested for performance and durability at APG - from the M4 Sherman tank of World War II to the MI tank and High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle of today. Known as the "Home of Ordnance," APG has been training Army ordnance personnel since 1918. The Army's ordnance training was consolidated at the provinground during World War II and today the U.S. Army Ordnance Center and School provides mechanical maintenance training for more than 20,000 U.S. and foreigpersonnel each year. OC&S also is regimental headquarters for the Army'sChief of Ordnance.

APG's Edgewood Area has been a center for chemical warfare research and development since it was established. From the trenches of France and Belgium in World War I to the desert battlefields of Iraq nearly seventy-five years later, the work done at APG has contributed to the defense and safety of American forces threatened by chemical-weapons.

The post is Harford County's largest employer and one of the largest employers in the state of Maryland.

U.S. Army Garrison, Aberdeen Proving Ground, provides general, administrative and logistical support to the post's tenants and satellite activities, and is responsible for the management and operation of the entire installation, which in many ways is like a small city.

APG has more than 2,200 buildings with more than 14 million square feet of floor space. The post has more than 300 miles of improved roads, 30 miles of railroad and more than 567,000 square yards of airfield pavement.