At first glance, “This We'll Defend” seems a simple, direct phrase. But look closer. It echoes with the courage of countless American Soldiers who have lived and died protecting our nation and its people. As the United States Army celebrates its 250th birthday this year, these words resonate more deeply than ever, especially here at Aberdeen Proving Ground.

One year older than the nation itself, the Army's history is woven into the very fabric of American freedom. For 250 years, Soldiers have answered the call by defending our values and ensuring our security. At APG, we are looking to the past with pride and gratitude and looking to the future with renewed commitment.

As we mark this significant milestone, it's crucial to recognize APG's pivotal in the Army's history and how its enduring relationship with the local community has been the key to our success. Together, APG and the surrounding community embody the Army's commitment to innovation, service, and unwavering dedication to “This We'll Defend.”

As the First World War raged on in Europe and the U.S. became involved, the need for a new stateside facility to support artillery and weapons testing became apparent. With the development of new weapons capable of hitting targets further away, the Army decided the existing Sandy Hook Proving Ground, N.J. test facility was too small and in a too densely populated area. Col. Colden Ruggles led the effort and ultimately chose Aberdeen, Md., as the ideal location. The establishment of APG in 1917 was the very beginning of what would become an incredible story of innovation and sacrifice that would support the warfighter for generations, due largely to the powerful connection between our installation and our local community.

Since its inception, our workforce has worked tirelessly to equip and prepare our Soldiers to fight and win our nation’s wars. There is a long list of extraordinary APG contributions that have arguably changed Army, U.S., and world history. The technology for today’s radar guns can be traced back to the invention of the Aberdeen Chronograph in 1918. In 1942, an Edgewood Arsenal plant produced 50 500-pound incendiary cluster bombs, which played a critical role in altering the course of World War II in the Pacific Theater. Edgewood also assembled most of the Army’s gas masks in both world wars, including the ones carried by Soldiers landing in France on D-Day.

Our test programs created the necessary environments to develop and evaluate many well-known military vehicles including the Jeep in the 1940s, the M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank in the 1980s, and the Military High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, better known as the Humvee, in the 2000s. APG even played a hand in the space race by partnering with NASA in the 1960s to create the ideal test conditions for the Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle design that would be used in the last three Apollo missions, 15, 16, and 17, in the 1970s.

APG continues our legacy of innovation and excellence in ensuring Soldier lethality and survivability today. Looking across all APG organizations, our missions include developing, fielding, training, and maintaining the latest technologies and systems necessary to keep our warfighters safe and successful on the modern battlefield. We are developing and delivering critical technologies to ensure an integrated and lethal force including aerial and ground unmanned vehicle systems, secure and reliable communications equipment, upgraded weapons systems, effective and accurate intelligence systems, advancements in medical research, enhanced test capabilities, and much more. APG is leading the way from researching robot dogs and artificial intelligence to testing the M1 Abrams and Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.

All these accomplishments aren’t just APG’s or the Army’s – they are your accomplishments. You are APG. Our installation has a total workforce of over 21,000 military, civilian, and contractor personnel. There are over 39,000 jobs supported by our missions, and we are the sixth largest employer in the state of Maryland.

Veterans and service members are a significant part of your communities. There are 18,175 veterans living in Harford County, while 6,650 veterans call Cecil County home. They are your family, neighbors, friends, community leaders, teachers, and first responders.

I have enjoyed getting to know our Gold Star Families and Survivors who are also an important part of our community and will always be part of our APG and Army family. Survivor Outreach Services, part of Army Community Service, currently provides long-term support to over 415 local families of fallen service members. SOS Program Coordinator Michael Farlow helps connect Survivors with resources they may need such as grief counseling, financial counseling, benefits coordination, support groups, and events coordination.

Our annual events provide excellent opportunities for us to honor the lives of our fallen service members. This April, more than 400 people supported our Gold Star Families and Survivors by participating in APG’s sixth annual Run to Honor 5K race.

Our fallen exemplify what selfless service truly means, and we are committed to caring for the loved ones they leave behind. I am proud to be part of an installation that has such a great relationship with our Gold Star Families.

As we celebrate the Army's 250th birthday, we are proud of the vital role APG has played and continues to play in guaranteeing our nation's security and strengthening our local community. We provide American Soldiers with the decisive advantage needed for overmatch on the modern battlefield, and we cannot do this without your support. Winning isn’t good enough; we strive for absolute dominance in combat, and we thank you for your partnership. Our warfighters deserve our absolute best, and this community has relentlessly worked to deliver that. APG stands as a testament to the Army's unwavering commitment to “This We'll Defend.”