Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) is a United States Army facility that neighbors Aberdeen and Edgewood, Maryland.
Aberdeen Proving Ground was formed in 1917 to provide the Army with sufficient land for testing its munitions and equipment. Around the same time, the Edgewood Arsenal was established on separate land, and provided the production and testing of chemical weapons. Edgewood Arsenal was discontinued as a separate installation in 1971 and its resources were transferred to Aberdeen Proving Ground.
The "Aberdeen area" refers to the northeastern side of APG, while the "Edgewood area" refers to the southwestern side, formerly the Edgewood Arsenal.
A portion of Edgewood Arsenal was separated into Fort Hoyle in 1922, to house artillery units of the Army. The post was incorporated back into Edgewood Arsenal in 1940.
History
Aberdeen Proving Ground is the U.S. Army's oldest active proving ground, established on October 20, 1917—six months after the U.S. entered World War I. The planning and construction were overseen by Brigadier General Colden Ruggles, who later served as the Army's Chief of Ordnance. Its location allowed for design and testing of ordnance materiel to take place near contemporary industrial and shipping centers. The proving ground was created as a successor to the Sandy Hook Proving Ground, which was too small for some of the larger weapons being tested.
At the peak of World War II, the Aberdeen Proving Ground had billeting space for 24,189 enlisted personnel and 2,348 officers.
A notable scientist was James B. Conant, who helped develop Lewisite at Aberdeen, went on to become the President of Harvard, and oversaw the Manhattan Project for the Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD).
Prompt critical excursion
Aberdeen was home to the Army Pulse Radiation Facility Reactor. On September 6, 1968, this reactor was the site of a prompt critical excursion during commissioning tests. This accident harmed no personnel but did release enough heat to reach the melting point of the fuel in the core, at . This caused damage to the fuel components of the reactor, fusing the four central rings together. This is one of thirty-three prompt critical accidents worldwide, between 1949 and 2000.
Base Realignment and Closure program
Under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) program, as announced in 2005, the APG was projected to lose the Ordnance School and associated R&D facilities, with 3,862 military and 290 civilian jobs moving to Fort Lee, Virginia. APG would gain 451 military and 5,661 civilian jobs from Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. As a result, APG incurred a net-loss of 3,411 military jobs and gain of 5,371 civilian jobs.
The U.S. Army Ordnance Corps Museum was previously located at APG, then moved to Fort Lee, Virginia, as a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Act.
Edgewood Arsenal
thumb|right|View of chemical plants, 1918
thumb|right|Chemical plant at Edgewood Arsenal, 1917
Although mostly civilian contractors produced conventional munitions during World War I, the United States government built federally owned plants on Aberdeen Proving Ground to manufacture toxic gas. These poison gas manufacturing facilities came to be known as Edgewood Arsenal, officially designated on May 4, 1918.
The Edgewood area of Aberdeen Proving Ground is approximately or . The Edgewood area was used for the development and testing of chemical agent munitions. From 1917 to the present, the Edgewood area conducted chemical research programs, manufactured chemical agents, and tested, stored, and disposed of toxic materials.
The Gunpowder Meetinghouse and Presbury Meetinghouse located within the grounds of Edgewood Arsenal are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Human experiments
From 1955 to 1975, the U.S. Army Chemical Corps conducted classified medical studies at Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland, intending to evaluate the impact of low-dose chemical warfare agents on military personnel, and test protective clothing and pharmaceuticals. About 7,000 soldiers took part in these experiments, involving exposures to more than 250 different chemicals, according to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). At the time, some volunteers exhibited symptoms of chemical agent exposure, but long-term follow-up was not planned as part of the DoD studies.
The agents tested included chemical warfare agents and other related agents:
Fort Hoyle
Fort Hoyle was established on October 7, 1922, and was created from a portion of the Edgewood Arsenal. Named for Brigadier General Eli D. Hoyle, former commander of the 6th Field Artillery Regiment, the post was home to the following units: Headquarters, 1st Field Artillery Brigade (1922 to 1939), the 6th Field Artillery Regiment (1922 to 1940), the 1st Ammunition Train (1922 to 1930), and the 99th Field Artillery Regiment (minus 2nd Battalion) (1940 to 1941).
Fort Hoyle was officially disestablished as a separate military post when it was reabsorbed by Edgewood Arsenal on September 10, 1940.
Other locations of Aberdeen Proving Ground
Other parts of APG not attached to the main installation include: the Churchville Test Area in Harford County, and the Carroll Island and Graces Quarters in Baltimore County, Maryland.
Churchville Test Area
The Churchville Test Area is a test track with hills that provide steep natural grades and tight turns to stress engines, drivetrains, and suspensions for army vehicles, including M1 Abrams tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, and Humvees.
Carroll Island
The eastern half of Carroll Island was used as a testing location for open air static testing of chemical weapons since the 1950s. During tests of chemical agents and other compounds at Carroll Island, Maryland, from July 1, 1964, to December 31, 1971, nearly of chemicals were disseminated on the test area including of irritants, of anticholinesterase compounds such as the nerve gasses Sarin and VX, and of incapacitants such as LSD. Simulant agents, incendiaries, decontaminating compounds, signaling and screening smokes, mustard, and herbicides were also released as well as riot control gasses. The test sites consisted of spray grids, a wind tunnel, test grids, and small buildings.
Geography
Aberdeen Proving Ground occupies a land area of 72,500 acres (equivalent to , or ).