Aberdeen Proving Ground

Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) is a United States Army facility located near Aberdeen, Maryland (in Harford County). Part of the facility is a census-designated place (CDP), which had a population of 3,116 at the 2000 census.

The Army's oldest active proving ground, it was established on October 20, 1917, six months after the United States entered World War I. The location allowed design and testing of materiel to take place near contemporary industrial and shipping centers. The first gun was fired there on January 2, 1918. APG 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, Aberdeen Proving Ground had billeting space for 2,348 officers and 24,189 enlisted personnel.

Aberdeen Proving Ground occupies convert|72962|acre|sqmi km2|1. Its northernmost point is near the mouth of the Susquehanna River, where it enters the Chesapeake Bay. On the south it is bordered by the Gunpowder River. The installation lies on two peninsulas separated by the Bush River. The northeastern is known as the "Aberdeen Area" and the southwestern, the former "Edgewood Arsenal," is called the "Edgewood Area." Edgewood Chemical Activity is a chemical weapons depot located here. Elimination of the chemicals held here was put on an accelerated schedule after the September 11, 2001 attacks, and all chemical weapons were destroyed by February 2006.

Other parts of the proving ground 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. 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 Abrams tanks, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, and HMMWVs.

The U.S. Army Ordnance Corps Museum is located at APG.

Geography

Aberdeen Proving Ground is located at coor dms|39|28|24|N|76|8|27|W|city (39.473451, -76.140837).GR|1

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 31.0 km² (12.0 mi²). 29.4 km² (11.4 mi²) of it is land and 1.6 km² (0.6 mi²) of it (5.09%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 3,116 people, 805 households, and 763 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 274.1 people per square mile (105.8/km²). There were 902 housing units at an average density of 79.3/sq mi (30.6/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 50.48% White, 34.60% African American, 0.64% Native American, 3.11% Asian, 1.25% Pacific Islander, 5.68% from other races, and 4.24% from two or more races. 11.20% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 805 households out of which 78.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 84.1% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 5.2% were non-families. 4.3% of all households were made up of individuals and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.52 and the average family size was 3.63.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 40.1% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 44.9% from 25 to 44, 4.4% from 45 to 64, and 0.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females there were 113.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 117.6 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $38,875, and the median income for a family was $40,306. Males had a median income of $26,943 versus $26,194 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $12,808. About 4.2% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Enhanced Use Lease

In 2005 Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) executed an Enhanced Use Lease (EUL) partnership with Opus East, L.L.C. (a subsidiary of Opus Corporation), a commercial real estate development company. Under the EUL, Opus East, L.L.C. has entered into a long-term ground lease of APG-owned property for the development of commercial office space and research & development (R&D) space. Ground lease payments benefit APG directly in the form of in-kind services that can be used to maintain/improve post infrastructure, build new buildings, build new roads, etc. The EUL will provide new high-quality buildings and facilities for the military and civilian positions relocating to APG due to the 2005 round of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process. The development of the EUL, known as The GATE project, is comprised of convert|416|acre|km2, 11 land bays, and 2-3 million square feet of development potential and is entirely within the boundaries of APG. The GATE is being developed to meet anti-terrorism and force protection standards and will include sustainable design elements. It also allows contractors doing work for various military commands on APG to be closer to their client and not be burdened with continual entry to APG. The first building at The GATE will be delivered to CACI in 2008. The complete development of the entire project will span 5-10 years.

Controversies

Under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) program announced in 2005, APG is projected to lose the Ordnance School and associated R&D facilities with 3862 military and 290 civilian jobs moving to Fort Lee, Virginia. APG will gain 451 military and 5,661 civilian jobs from Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. There is a net loss of 3,411 military jobs under BRAC and a net gain of 5,371 civilian jobs.

A sex scandal at Aberdeen Proving Ground came into light in 1996.

ee also

*ENIAC
*ORDVAC
*BRLESC
*Aberdeen scandal (1996)
*Army Research Laboratory
*U.S. Army Ordnance Museum
*Herman Heine Goldstine
*Edgewood Arsenal experiments
* Maryland World War II Army Airfieldsl

References

External links

* [http://www.apg.army.mil/ Official site]
* [http://www.apg.army.mil/apghome/sites/about/history.asp History]
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/aberdeen.htm Aberdeen Proving Ground at globalsecurity.org]
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/facility/edgewood.htm Edgewood Chemical Activity at globalsecurity.org]
* [http://www.goordnance.apg.army.mil/sitefiles/OrdnanceMuseum.htm US Army Ordnance Museum]
* [http://www.ordmusfound.org/overview.html US Army Ordnance Foundation]