Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland is an Army installation near Chesapeake Bay. This installation features a large volume of research and development activities and is home to approximately 80 tenant organizations plus satellite operations and private commercial activities.
Find information about Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland including the main commercial and DSN numbers for the base, information on basic services, base transportation, lodging for TDY and PSCing personnel, and inprocessing.
Aberdeen Proving Ground Mission And Units
Aberdeen Proving Ground is approximately 23 miles northeast of Baltimore in Harford County. It has a rich and varied history beginning in World War One. APG employs more than 21,000 civilian, military and contractor employees, and is said to be Harford County’s largest employer.
Aberdeen Proving Ground contributes more than $400 million in payroll and $500 million in contracts per year and features a $1 billion in research and development activities. There 17 major commands represented with approximately 80 tenant units calling the installation home.
The Aberdeen Proving Ground official site describes five major “core areas” including:
- Public Health and Medical Research
- Testing and Evaluation
- Research and Development
- Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives (CBRNE)
- U.S. Army Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Sensors and Reconnaissance Team (C4ISR)
The major commands at APG include:
- 20th CBRNE Command Army Contracting Command – Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG)
- U.S. Army Evaluation Center (AEC)
- U.S. Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity (AMSAA)
- U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL)
- U.S. Army Test & Evaluation Command (ATEC)
- U.S. Army Communications and Electronics Command (CECOM)
- Communications-Electronics, Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC)
- U.S. Army Civilian Human Resource Agency (CHRA)
- Northeast Region Office Mid-Atlantic Region Network Enterprise Center (Mid-Atlantic RNEC)
- Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC)
- Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND)
- Kirk U.S. Army Health Clinic (KUSAHC)
- Maryland Army National Guard Dental Clinic Command
- U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (MRICD)
- PEO Command, Control and Communications- Tactical (PEO C3T)
- U.S. Army Public Health Center
- U.S. Army Research Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) Program
- Executive Office Intelligence Electronic Warfare & Sensors (PEO IEW&S)
Aberdeen Proving Ground History
Aberdeen Proving Ground was established in 1917 for the purpose of testing Army materiel-war munitions to be used in the United States’ newly declared involvement in World War One.
At the same time, a facility known as the Edgewood Arsenal also opened nearby, intended to develop, produce, and test Army chemical warfare materiel. (These two installations merged and became formally known as Aberdeen Proving Ground in 1971.)
By the time World War Two was underway, Aberdeen Proving Ground needed many more testing facilities; in 1942 the government acquired seven thousand additional acres, extending the facility practically into the city limits of Aberdeen. A few years later, APG also acquired 1,800 more acres in 1945.
APG Contributions To Technology and Commerce
One of the significant contributions to both military technology and civilian commerce came during World War Two; R&D activities on the installation were responsible for development of the world’s first digital computer known as the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator or ENIAC. APG facilities also developed the Bazooka, considered the first portable, soldier-carried anti-tank weapon.
At the end of World War Two, Aberdeen Proving Ground reverted to its’ peacetime research mission, though future conflicts would bring more battlefield-related research activities.
Aberdeen Proving Ground: The 1960s and Beyond
In the 1960s, Army reorganization efforts had APG moving to centralize all testing environments, resulting in the establishment of the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (TECOM), acting as the headquarters to manage 10 test installations from the east coast all the way to Panama.
Fast-forward to the 2000s when the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) began working to consolidate and close military operations and increase efficiency. Some organizations under APG closed, while others were brought to the installation as a result of BRAC studies and recommendations.
Thanks to BRAC, there were some 8,500 new positions added but some important operations were sent elsewhere including the U.S. Army Ordnance Center and School and the Army Environmental Command.
Even with all these changes, today’s basic mission of Aberdeen Proving Ground remains the same; research and develop forward-thinking solutions to technological problems faced by the warfighter.
Aberdeen Proving Ground Contacts
Main Address
2201 Aberdeen Boulevard, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21005
- 410-278-2464
- 410-278- 7572
- (DSN) 312-298-7572
- Fax 410-278-9685
- Fax (DSN) 312-278-9685
Aberdeen Proving Ground Important Contact Numbers
- MP Desk (410) 306-2222
- Fire & Emergency Services (410) 306-0501
- Base Operator (410) 278-5201
- Operator (410) 306-1403
- Barracks/Single Service Member Housing (410) 306-2012
- Chapels (410) 278-4333
- Civilian Personnel Office (410) 278-1583
- Hospital/Medical Treatment Facility (410) 278-5475
- Aberdeen Proving Ground Housing Office 410-306-2002/2011/2003.
- ID/CAC Card Processing (410) 306-2353
- Information and Referral Services (410) 278-7572
- Legal Services/JAG (410) 278-1583
- Personnel Support Office (410) 306-2333
- VA Facilities Perry Point VA Medical Center (410) 642-2411
- VA Facilities Veteran Administration Medical Center (410) 605-7000
- Welcome/Visitors Center (410) 278-7572
Aberdeen Proving Ground Surrounding Area
Aberdeen Proving Ground’s location gives plenty of access to life in Chesapeake Bay and Baltimore. There are many nautically-themed attractions in the area including the Chesapeake Ship Graveyard, Crisfield (known as the “Seafood Capital of the World”) and Deal Island, which hosts the annual Skipjack festival on Labor Day.
Nearby Baltimore is home to the Fort McHenry National Monument, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Baltimore Museum of Industry, and many other attractions. Sports fans will naturally want to visit Camden Yards, and film buffs will love Baltimore, famous in cinematic circles as the hometown of filmmaker John Waters.
APG is also in proximity to historic Annapolis, Maryland which is rich in military and nautical history. There is plenty of fine dining, culture, and culture, including two theatre companies in the city’s historic district.
One important Annapolis destination is the Banneker-Douglass Museum, which preserves the history of African Americans in Maryland. Fans of military history will want to visit Preble Hall, home to the U.S. Naval Academy Museum, which opened in 1845.
Preble Hall features an impressive model ship collection, donated by Henry Huttleston Rogers and is the archive for thousands of images of navy operations up to World War Two.
Aberdeen itself is home to Ripken Stadium, the Concorde Point Lighthouse is approximately five miles away, and when in-season, the Aberdeen Farmers’ Market runs every thursday (May to October).
Aberdeen Proving Ground Inprocessing and Check-In
Permanent Party Military
Permanent Party new arrivals will report to the Military Personnel Office at 8:00 a.m. the first duty day of arrival. Required documentation includes:
- Military Orders
- Any applicable military leave paperwork
- Any updates DEERS/RAPIDS where applicable for births, marriage, or divorce en route to APG
- Documentation to complete Officer/Enlisted Records Brief andiPERMS Audit
Those on permissive temporary TDY for house hunting must contact the installation Housing Services office located in Building 4305 to obtain a Housing Services stamp on their orders starting on the first day of permissive TDY.
Military Students
Those reporting in to the Ordnance Center & Schools, or Ordnance Mechanical Maintenance School are directed to check in to 61st ORD Bde, rear entrance Bldg 3071, located at the intersection of Aberdeen Blvd and School Street, or contact the staff duty office at 410-278-3778.
All Officer, Warrant Officer and Enlisted students will report to the S-1 personnel office, 61st Ordnance Brigade, Bldg 3071 first floor, 410-278-5770. For reporting and check-in after duty hours, report to the 61st Ordnance Brigade Staff Duty Officer in Bldg 3071.
Aberdeen Proving Ground Services
APG Medical Care
Kirk Army Health Clinic at Aberdeen is an ambulatory care facility. There is no on-post emergency room. Services provided at Kirk Army Health Clinic include:
- General Medicine
- Pediatrics and Well Baby
- Occupational Health
- Physical Therapy
- Optometry
- Behavioral Health Service
- Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Clinic
- Social Work/Family Advocacy Program
APG Dental Care
Aberdeen and Edgewood Dental Clinics provide total care for Active Duty permanent party military members. Routine care is available for students on-post with TDY orders, but military retirees and family members are only treated for emergencies.
APG Child Care
Child care and day care are handled on-post by Aberdeen Proving Ground Child Development Centers and are open to children ages six weeks to kindergarten age. CDD programs include full-day and hourly, plus before- and after-Kindergarten and Pre-Kindergarten services.
Typical hours are 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. but times may vary depending on location. A waiting list may be required, which are available online or in Building 2503 Advanced Tactic Road, Aberdeen. Parents may fax CDC waiting list forms to 410-278-4658, Attn: Central Registration office, building 2503.
- Aberdeen Area CDC -Bldg 2485 Carbine Road. 410-278-5748
- Bayside CDC – Bldg. 2521 Bayside Drive 410-278-4683
- Edgewood Area CDC – Located in Bldg E-1901 Scully Road 410-463-2692
Household Goods
All those PCSing to Aberdeen Proving Ground should use The Defense Personal Property System at Move.mil to request and manage household goods shipments.
ID Cards/Common Access Card Services For Military Families and Retirees
Families and retirees are seen on a walk-in basis for ID cards and ID Card/DEERS services. The Military sponsor’s presence is required to sign the Application for Uniformed Services Identification Card DEERS enrollment (DD Form 1172).
Sponsors are permitted to give an adult family member a general power of attorney or a special power of attorney for ID Card/DEERS services “to authorize the family member to update the DEERS database or to sign the DD Form 1172 on the sponsor’s behalf” according to the APG official site.
Walk-ins are processed first come, first served. Provisions are made for emergency cases requiring same-day service but documentation is required to support the request to replace a lost CAC, rests PIN, and related issues.
Two forms of valid ID may be required to update or issue new ID cards and CAC.
Aberdeen Proving Ground Schools
There are no schools on the installation, but APG is located in the Harford County School District. Depending where on base a military family lives, dependent children may attend Roye-Williams Elementary, Aberdeen Middle School or Aberdeen High School-those facilities are for those living on APG North.
Military children residing on APG South or in the Edgewood Area will attend Edgewood Elementary, Edgewood Middle or Edgewood High School.
Aberdeen Proving Grounds Housing
APG family housing includes 1,006 units available for all ranks. Waiting times vary based on rank of service member and bedroom requirement. Barracks are open to “permanent party bona fide single soldiers”.
All personnel are required to contact the Housing Office before making off-base living arrangements. Contact the Aberdeen Proving Ground Housing Officer at 410-306-2002 or 2011 or 2003. The Aberdeen Proving Ground Housing Referral Office will supply a list of rentals for those who wish to live off-post.
Aberdeen Proving Ground PCS and TDY Lodging
Those coming to the base on Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders or Temporary Duty orders (TDY) should make reservations with the APG Swan Creek Inn, Building 2207, on BelAir Street. There are 148 single rooms, and 68 apartment style rooms. Make reservations at 410-278-5148 or (DSN) 312-298-5148.
During peak PCS season and during times with lots of TDY travel to the area, space may be limited; it’s best to call in advance to check availability.
Aberdeen Proving Ground Vehicle Registration And Driver’s License
Maryland State law requires liability insurance and a valid driver’s license in order to operate a vehicle. Out-of-state military members on Temporary Duty (TDY) do not have to register vehicles from out of state but the registration for those vehicles must be current. Permanent party military members are expected to register vehicles with the State of Maryland within one year.
Base Decals Required For Driving On-Post
For operating a motor vehicle on Aberdeen Proving Ground, a base decal is required. Report to Badging Office, Bldg 4305, Aberdeen Proving Ground and complete Form IMNE 1248 which can be obtained at Building 4305, Room #101.
A valid Drivers License, Military ID or CAC Card, Vehicle Registration, Proof of Insurance and Policy Number are all required items to obtain your base decal.