One Garrison, Eight Frontiers: Inside the 100-Mile Footprint of Aberdeen Proving Ground
Rather than a single, interconnected landmass, APG is a non-contiguous regional footprint spanning over 100 miles across four Maryland counties. Operating under the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, the U.S. Army Garrison (USAG) Aberdeen Proving Ground coordinates services and support across this multi-county network, balancing historic legacies, high-tech testing demands, and localized municipal partnerships.
The full scope of APG’s modern mission is distributed across eight distinct geographical areas, each carrying its own specialized role and history.
The first and largest of these is Aberdeen. Comprising approximately 30,508 acres of land in Harford County, this northern portion of the base serves as a major hub for military testing, research, and development, and it houses Phillips Army Airfield. APG North also encompasses Spesutie Island, a 1,800-acre area situated in the Chesapeake Bay immediately adjacent to Aberdeen that was acquired in 1945 to expand range and testing capabilities.
The second area is the Edgewood, which spans roughly 10,126 acres in Harford County. Formerly the independent Edgewood Arsenal, this southern sector now serves as the U.S. Army's premier chemical research, development, and engineering center.
The third area is the Churchville Test Area, a non-contiguous 221-acre vehicle testing facility located in northern Harford County, about 10 miles north of the main base. It features steep natural grades and tight curves used by the Aberdeen Test Center to stress-test tracked and wheeled military vehicles.
The fourth component is the Adelphi Laboratory Center, a 207-acre installation located just north of Washington, D.C., in suburban Prince George's County. This facility serves as the headquarters of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory (DEVCOM ARL).
The fifth and sixth areas are located in neighboring Baltimore County. Carroll Island is a non-contiguous 855-acre island situated across the Gunpowder River that was historically used for open-air testing and is currently utilized for environmental and wetland mitigation. Nearby, Graces Quarters is a non-contiguous 309-acre peninsula historically tied to Edgewood chemical testing that now hosts specialized defense projects at the Robotics Research Collaborative Campus.
The final two areas extend into the waterways and southern regions of Maryland. Pooles Island is a 206-acre island in the Chesapeake Bay that historically served as an artillery impact area and features a historic lighthouse. Lastly, the Blossom Point Research Facility comprises approximately 1,600 acres of land on Cedar Point Neck in Southern Maryland's Charles County, operating as a vital proving ground and testing facility along the Potomac River.
This unique layout is a direct reflection of how the Army's testing needs have evolved over more than a century. Longtime USAG APG employee Ed Heasley notes that the physical separation of these properties means the garrison naturally operates across a wider regional footprint than most standard installations.
This geographical distribution includes satellite sites like the Adelphi Laboratory Center and Blossom Point in Southern Maryland, which operate alongside other regional military installations while remaining administratively connected to APG. Heasley points out that because these remote locations are situated further from the main Harford County campus, APG represents a statewide geographical footprint.
Even between the primary hubs of Aberdeen and Edgewood personnel travel daily between gates via public access points. While navigating local highway traffic between Aberdeen and Edgewood is a routine part of the day, Heasley notes that travel time, traffic accidents, and general highway congestion remain a practical part of moving between the two main sectors.
Because APG's testing areas are integrated into the regional landscape, maintaining strong relationships with surrounding civilian communities has been a long-standing practice. This is particularly true for sites like the Churchville Test Area, which was established by the Ordnance Department in 1942 to test iconic combat vehicles from the M-4 Sherman to the modern M1 Abrams and M2 Bradley.
To protect Churchville from urban encroachment—and to preserve the quiet of nearby residents from the noise of round-the-clock testing—the Army partnered with Harford County and the Harford Land Trust in 2007 to establish a protective agricultural buffer, including a historic family farm.
Similarly, islands and peninsulas like Carroll Island, Graces Quarters, and Pooles Island are managed with an eye toward safety and environmental conservation. Carroll Island was originally acquired by the Army to create a coastal buffer zone and weapons development area, and today it serves as a safe zone between testing activities and the surrounding community.
Graces Quarters, a 476-acre peninsula acquired in 1918 to serve as a coastal buffer and weapons development area, completed a formal Record of Decision in 2004. While strict environmental protocols remain active, chemical testing there has terminated, and the land now hosts the Robotics Research Collaborative Campus.
Pooles Island, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, served as an artillery impact area until the early 1970s. Except for a seven-acre area around the historic lighthouse, the island remains restricted due to the historical presence of unexploded ordnance.
Providing safety and emergency services across this fragmented footprint relies on close coordination with local civilian authorities. The garrison maintains emergency services tailored to the needs of both Aberdeen and Edgewood, and Heasley emphasizes that these services are built on mutual aid and community integration.
If an emergency arises, mutual assistance between the garrison and surrounding civilian agencies is a standard practice to support family housing and outlying testing spaces. These partnerships ensure a seamless safety net across county lines.
Operating an installation with such distinct geographic identities also means navigating its historical workforce cultures. The historical roots of the "Aberdeen side" and the "Edgewood side" date back to when they were entirely separate entities, a distinction that still lives in the memory of the long-term workforce and the surrounding civilian population.
Heasley notes that maintaining balanced communication across both major areas remains a standard approach to keeping the workforce connected. For those working within the garrison, leveraging the deep institutional knowledge of the civilian workforce has historically played an important role in supporting the installation's diverse missions.
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