Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG)
Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), the Army's oldest active proving ground, is one of the world's foremost research, development, testing, and training facilities for military weapons and equipment. It is bounded by the Susquehanna and Gunpowder Rivers, the Chesapeake Bay, and the AMTRAK Railroad.
APG comprises two principal areas, separated by the Bush River. The northern area is known as the Aberdeen Area, and the southern sector, formerly the Edgewood Arsenal, is the Edgewood Area. Many of APG's tenants are located in the Edgewood Area and conduct work in environmental and chemical arenas. They include the Chemical and Biological Defense Command, Army Environmental Center, Chemical Demilitarization and Remediation Activity, Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, and the Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine. While actively testing military hardware, environmental protection is a major concern. The Proving Ground has developed an environmental program that has made it a haven for bald eagles and other wildlife.
Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) was established on October 20, 1917 and is the U.S. Army's oldest active testing and evaluation facility. It occupies more than 72,500 acres in Harford County, Maryland. More than 7,500 civilians work at APG, and more than 3,900 military personnel are assigned there. In addition, there are nearly 3,000 contractor and private business employees working on the Proving Ground. There are 2,700 military family members living on the post and another 243 off post. The post supports more than 16,000 military retirees and retiree family members. The post is Harford County's largest employer and one of the largest employers in the state of Maryland. During FY 1999, APG's total expenditures were nearly $2.3 billion. The total economic impact on the county (payroll and contracts) was $520.9 million.
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 15 million square feet of building 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. The post has nearly 2.25 million linear feet of electrical distribution lines, more than 215,000 linear feet of steam and hot water distribution lines, and nearly 21,000 linear feet of gas distribution lines. In addition, the post's water distribution system can handle as much as 7 million gallons a day and its sewer facilities have a daily capacity of 4 million gallons.
The U.S. Army Combat Systems Test Activity (CSTA), located at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, provides a premier range and test facility for the Department of Defense. Chartered in 1917 to provide testing of field artillery, weapons and ammunition, CSTA now operates under the Army's Test and Evaluation Command (TECOM) and has become a world class, all purpose testing center. CSTA encompasses state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, advanced instrumentation, and comprehensive support capabilities to test a wide range of military weapons systems, equipment, and materiel. Testing covers the full range of life cycle support from concept evaluation and research prototypes through advanced development to quality assurance testing of production items. Testing is primarily performed for the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines, but CSTA also offers its services to other government agencies and private industry as well.
Capabilities at CSTA are sustained by scientists, engineers, mathematicians, technicians, and support employees, totaling 1000 military and civilian personnel. These capabilities include the ability to design, develop, and construct state-of-the-art instrumentation incorporating advanced technologies necessary to keep pace with testing requirements of current military systems. Soldiers from the field participate as members of test teams, bringing valuable field experience and training to the test effort. Located on 52,000 acres, CSTA maintains numerous exterior and interior firing ranges, automotive courses, environmental chambers that simulate temperature conditions, underwater explosive test ponds, non-destructive test facilities, and an extensive industrial complex to support equipment maintenance and experimental fabrication. These capabilities are used in the three principal directorates for technical management including Live Fire Vulnerability, Automotive and Support Equipment, and Armament and Advanced Technology.
Briar Point Test Pond, Aberdeen, MD
Underwater Explosives (UNDEX) Test Facility
In 1990, the U.S. Navy selected Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, as the site for an inland pond to conduct shock and vibration testing on naval vessels. The major action was initiated because DoD became concerned about potential impact to marine life, especially dolphins, sea turtles, and coral, in open-ocean testing. The Army completed an environmental Assessment, and published a Finding of No Significant Impact. However, public and regulatory concern forced an extension of the public comment period and required additional public involvement. After extended public and regulatory comments were successfully addressed, required permits were obtained, and construction began. Construction was completed approximately five years after the site selection, and testing at the facility was initiated in 1995.
In its 2005 BRAC Recommendations, DoD recommended that Fort Belvoir, VA be realigned by relocating and consolidating Sensors, Electronics, and Electronic Warfare Research, Development and Acquisition activities to Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, and by relocating and consolidating Information Systems Research and Development and Acquisition (except for the Program Executive Office, Enterprise Information Systems) to Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. The Army Research Institute, Fort Knox, KY would be realigned by relocating Human Systems Research to Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. This recommendation would also realign Redstone Arsenal, AL, by relocating and consolidating Information Systems Development and Acquisition to Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD.
Assuming no economic recovery, this recommendation could result in a maximum potential increase of 9,834 jobs (5,042 direct and 4,792 indirect jobs) over the 2006 – 2011 periods in the Baltimore-Towson, MD Metropolitan Division (0.6 percent). When moving from Fort Belvoir to Aberdeen, MD, DoD estimated that the following local area capabilities would improve: Cost of living and Education. The following attributes would decline: Employment, Safety and Transportation. When moving from Fort Knox to Aberdeen, MD, DoD estimated that the following local area capabilities would improve: Housing, Employment, and Medical Health. The following attributes would decline: Cost of Living, Safety, and Transportation. When moving from Redstone Arsenal to Aberdeen, MD, DoD estimated that the following local area capabilities would improve: Child Care, Housing, and Medical Health. The following attributes would decline: Employment, Safety, Population Center, and Transportation. When moving from Arlington, VA, to Aberdeen, MD, DoD estimated that the following attributes would decline: Population Center, and Transportation. Environmentally, an Air Conformity Analysis and a New Source Review and permitting effort would be required at Aberdeen. The extent of the cultural resources on Aberdeen would be uncertain. Potential impacts might occur as result of increased times delays and negotiated restrictions. Additional operations at Aberdeen might further impact threatened/endangered species that could lead to additional restrictions on training or operations. S
In another recommendation, DoD recommended to realign Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD by relocating the Ordnance Center and School to Fort Lee, VA. It would then consolidate the Transportation Center and School from Fort Eustis and the Ordnance Center and School with the Quartermaster Center & School, the Army Logistic Management College, and Combined Arms Support Command, to establish a Combat Service Support Center at Fort Lee, VA. This recommendation would consolidate Combat Service Support (CSS) training and doctrine development at a single installation, which would promote training effectiveness and functional efficiencies. The moves would advance the Maneuver Support Center (MANSCEN) model, currently in place at Fort Leonard Wood, MO, which would consolidate the Military Police, Engineer, and Chemical Centers and Schools. This recommendation would improve the MANSCEN concept by consolidating functionally related Branch Centers & Schools. Assuming no economic recovery, this recommendation could result in a maximum potential reduction of 7,386 jobs (4,200 direct jobs and 3,186 indirect jobs) over the 2006-2011 period in the Baltimore-Towson, MD, metropolitan economic area (0.5 percent).
Another Recommendation would realign Park Center Four, a leased installation in Alexandria, VA, by relocating and consolidating Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC) with its subcomponents at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), MD. This recommendation would meet several important Department of Defense (DoD) objectives with regard to future use of leased space, rationalization of the Department's presence within the National Capital Region (NCR), and enhanced security for DoD Activities. Additionally, the scenario would result in a significant improvement in military value. The military value of ATEC's headquarters based on its current location was ranked 319 out of 334 entities evaluated by the MAH military value model, while APG was ranked 128 out of 334. Implementation would reduce the Department's reliance on leased space, which has historically higher overall costs than government-owned space and generally did not meet Anti-terrorism Force Protection standards as prescribed in UFC 04-010-01. The recommendation would eliminate 83,000 Usable Square Feet of leased administrative space within the NCR. The relocation to a military installation outside of the NCR would provide dispersion of DoD Activities away from a dense concentration within the NCR. This, plus the immediate benefit of enhanced Force Protection afforded by a location within a military installation fence-line, would provide ATEC's Headquarters with immediate compliance with Force Protection Standards. Its current location was non-compliant with current Force Protection Standards. APG had available, vacant administrative space that could support this space requirement without the need for need for new MILCON. This recommendation would have the added benefit of allowing ATEC to consolidate its headquarters facilities with its subcomponents that were operating at APG: the Army Developmental Test Command and the Army Evaluation Center.
The total estimated one-time cost to the Department of Defense to implement this recommendation would be $7.1M. The net of all costs and savings to the Department during the implementation period would be a savings of $44.0M. Annual recurring savings to the Department after implementation would be $8.7M, with a payback expected immediately. The net present value of the costs and savings to the Department over 20 years would be a savings of $125.7M. Assuming no economic recovery, this recommendation could result in a maximum potential reduction of 796 jobs (470 direct jobs and 326 indirect jobs) over the 2006-2011 time period in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division economic area (less than 0.1 percent percent). Environmentally, this recommendation would have a potential impact on air quality at APG. At a minimum, New Source Review and permit modifications might be required. This recommendation would require spending approximately $0.4M for environmental compliance activities.
In another recommendation, DoD would realign Aberdeen Proving Groundand two other locations by relocating all mobilization functions to Fort Dix, NJ, designating it as Joint Pre-Deployment/Mobilization Site Dix/McGuire/Lakehurst. This recommendation was part of a larger recommendation to consolidate mobilization funcitons at several other sites. This recommendation would realign eight lower threshold mobilization sites to four existing large capacity sites and transforms them into Joint Pre-Deployment/ Mobilization Platforms. This action would be expected to have the long-term effect of creating pre- deployment/mobilization centers of excellence, leverage economies of scale, reduce costs, and improve service to mobilized service members. These joint platforms would not effect any of the services units that a have specific unit personnel/equipment requirements necessitating their mobilization from a specified installation. The realigned, lower thresholds mobilization sites had significantly less capacity and many less mobilizations.
DoD would also realign Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, by relocating the Army Environmental Center to Fort Sam Houston, TX. Assuming no economic recovery, this recommendation could result in a maximum potential reduction of 351 jobs (180 direct jobs and 171 indirect jobs) over the 2006-2011 period in the Baltimore-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area (less than 0.1 percent).
In another recommendation, DoD would realign Army Research Laboratory Langley, VA, and Army Research Laboratory Glenn, OH, by relocating the Vehicle Technology Directorates to Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. DoD would also realign the Army Research Laboratory White Sands Missile Range, NM, by relocating all Army Research Laboratory activities except the minimum detachment required to maintain the Test and Evaluation functions at White Sands Missile Range, NM, to Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. This recommendation would realign and consolidate portions of the Air Force and Army Research Laboratories to provide greater synergy across technical disciplines and functions. It would do this by consolidating geographically separate units of the Air Force and Army Research Laboratories. This recommendation would enable technical synergy, and would position the Department of the Defense to exploit a center-of-mass of scientific, technical, and acquisition expertise. Environmentally, an Air Conformity Analysis and a New Source Review and permitting effort would be required at Aberdeen. This recommendation might impact cultural resources and threatened and endangered species at Aberdeen.
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