Aberdeen Proving Ground

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. Known as the “Home of Ordnance,” APG has been training Army ordnance personnel since 1918. The Army’s ordnance training was consolidated at the proving ground 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 foreign personnel each year. also is regimental headquarters for the Army’s Chief of Ordnance.

Aberdeen, MD

Between Havre de Grace and Bel Air on US 40 is Aberdeen, a town closely linked to the Aberdeen Proving Ground, which is a military reservation on the large peninsula just south of town. The citizens of Aberdeen are as proud of their past, however, as they are of their military connections. Artifacts and memorabilia from the social, economic, and cultural development of the city are displayed at Aberdeen Rooms Archives and Museum (410-273-6325) at 58 North Parke Street.

The population of over 13,500 enjoys a full range of services and amenities. A volunteer fire and ambulance department and the Aberdeen Police Department offering excellent services especially designed to meet the needs of the Aberdeen community. The community is enriched with a modern public library, Senior Citizens' Center, Boys & Girls Club and many churches and two senior citizen centers.

New to the town is the ballpark built by the Ripken family. The park is home to the Aberdeen Ironbirds a member of the New York-Penn League. The Ripken’s have a long history in the Aberdeen community. Cal Ripken Sr. and his wife Vi raised their family there as Cal Sr. was working as a coach in the Baltimore orioles farm system. Cal Ripken Jr. and his brother Bill Ripken grew up in Aberdeen and went on to play for the Baltimore Orioles. The highlight of the Ripken baseball family was when Cal Sr. was named manager of the Baltimore Orioles while both of his sons were players on the team. The Aberdeen Ironbirds are a continuing example of the Ripken family love of baseball and their love for their father Cal Sr.

Spread out along 20 miles of Chesapeake Bay, Aberdeen Proving Ground is home to a diverse array of weapons development and testing programs. The installation covers 72,516 acres, ranging from heavily industrialized areas (the base has over 2,000 buildings) to remote testing ranges on peninsulas, bays, and tidal areas. The Edgewood area of the Proving Ground has been the nation's primary chemical and biological weapons development location since World War I, and is now littered with contamination and unexploded chemical weapons. Over 15,000 employees work at Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Aberdeen Proving Ground Hotel Map

Bases by Service

• Air Force Bases
• Army Bases
• Marine Corps Bases
• Navy Bases

Basic Training Bases

• Lackland AFB
• Fort Benning
• Fort Jackson
• Fort Knox
• Fort Leonard Wood
• Fort Sill
• MCRD Parris Island
• MCRD San Diego
• Great Lakes NTC

Popular Bases

• Eglin Air Force Base
• Wright Patterson AFB
• Aberdeen Proving Ground
• Fort Hood
• Camp Lejeune
• Camp Pendleton
• Norfolk Naval Station
• Pearl Harbor Naval Station