Letterkenny Army Depot (originally Letterkenny Ordnance Depot), the Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence (CITE) for Air Defense and Tactical Missile Systems, was established in early 1942."Firm to Rush Construction of REA Lines" and "Police Chief Hunter Quits Here; Takes Position on Letterkenny Ordnance Job." Shippensburg, Pennsylvania: The News-Chronicle, January 20, 1942, p. 1 (subscription required)."Labor Supply in Pace with Depot Needs." Shippensburg, Pennsylvania: The News-Chronicle, April 17, 1942, p. 1 (subscription required). Its leadership began recruiting civilian personnel in July 1942."Army to Hire Civilians on Nearby Depot." Shippensburg, Pennsylvania: The News-Chronicle, July 3, 1942, p. 1 (subscription required).
The Depot is under the command structure of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM). The facilities at Letterkenny are used to conduct maintenance, modification, storage, and demilitarization operations of tactical missiles and ammunition.
Located primarily in Letterkenny Township and extending into Greene Township and Hamilton Township, all in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, just northwest of the borough of Chambersburg, the Depot consists of nearly 18,000 acres (71 km2). It is the largest employer in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and adds over one-quarter of a billion dollars annually to the region's economy.
Letterkenny has unique tactical missile repair capabilities repairing a variety of Department of Defense (DoD) missile systems, including the MIM-104 PATRIOT missile and its ground support and radar equipment. More recently, Letterkenny expanded its product line to include designation of the CITE for Power Generation for the Army, the overhaul of tactical wheeled vehicles (HMMWVs), material handling equipment (7.5-ton cranes), and Mobile Kitchen Trailers. In 2007, during the Iraq conflict, Letterkenny began building new Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) armored vehicles in partnership with BAE Systems, and in 2010 was designated the Joint Depot Source of Repair (JDSOR) for Route Clearance Vehicles for the DoD.
History
1940s − 1960s In 1941, Letterkenny was chosen by the U.S. Department of War to be one of twelve new ordnance depots. On December 18, 1941, the Secretary of War, Henry L. Stimson, issued the directive to acquire 21,000 acres (85 km2) at Letterkenny for a depot. The mission would be to reduce the surplus of forthcoming material and to store and ship ammunition, trucks, parts, and other supplies. Construction on the depot took place from January through April 1942."Firm to Rush Construction of REA Lines" and "Police Chief Hunter Quits Here; Takes Position on Letterkenny Ordnance Job," The News-Chronicle, January 20, 1942."Labor Supply in Pace with Depot Needs," Shippensburg, Pennsylvania: The News-Chronicle, April 17, 1942.
In addition, the government obtained the James Finley House in 1942 for use as the Commanding Officer's Residence, making it one of the largest depots of its kind. Note: This includes
Depot military officers then began recruiting civilian personnel in July 1942."Army to Hire Civilians on Nearby Depot," The News-Chronicle, July 3, 1942.
The first shipment of ammunition arrived by train in late 1942, and more than three million tons of supplies were moved during World War II. Beginning in 1943, news was disseminated internally to civilian and military employees via a civilian-sponsored, weekly newsletter, the "Kenny Letter." In August 1945, newsletter editors marked the second anniversary of their publication and the war's end by producing a special "V-J edition" (Victory over Japan Day) with the word "Victory" printed in large, red lettering as the front-page headline."Kenny Letter Hits Peace Time Tempo Red Ink: Victory Proclaimed as LKY Newspaper Enters Third Year." Shippensburg, Pennsylvania: The News-Chronicle, August 21, 1945, p. 1 (subscription required). The depot also sponsored the Letterkenny Ordnance Depot Baseball Team (L.O.D.), a civilian group which participated in the Twilight Baseball League with teams from the Chambersburg Engineering Company (CECO) and the Pennsylvania Railroad (P.R.R.) in night games at Henninger Field in Chambersburg during the summers of 1943 and 1944."CEO and P.R.R. Open Twilight League Monday." Chambersburg, Pennsylvania: Public Opinion, June 26, 1943, p. 4 (subscription required). Joining the civilian team from the depot for the 1944 season were the CECO and P.R.R. teams, as well as new teams from St. Thomas High School and the U.S. Army's 831st Ordnance Company. The five teams participated in a forty-game schedule that summer."831st Ordnance Co. Entered in Twilight League to Make Fifth Team; Play Will Start Monday." Chambersburg, Pennsylvania: Public Opinion, June 2, 1944, p. 4 (subscription required). The P.R.R. Team defeated Letterkenny's civilian team 2–1 in the seventh game of the league's 1944 championship playoff on August 25."P.R.R. Downs L.O.D. 2 To 1 To Win 1944 Twilight League Title." Chambersburg, Pennsylvania: Public Opinion, August 26, 1944, p. 4 (subscription required).
In May 1944, military leaders at Letterkenny recommended building two hundred and fifty concrete slab aprons for igloos to make it easier and safer for depot personnel to move and store palletized ammunition and bombs via forklift."Aprons Recommended." Chambersburg, Pennsylvania: Public Opinion, May 27, 1945, p. 5 (subscription required).
After the war, an enormous amount of ammunition was returned from overseas, some of which was unserviceable and had to be destroyed. During the Korean War, with improved capabilities, Letterkenny took on the task and shifted to a wartime pace, increasing their workforce to 6,500 by adding as many as 50 new employees each day during their growth's peak. With new technologies in electronics and guided missile maintenance in the 1950s, the Depot saw a further increased workload. Newly trained employees began working on Project Nike missile components in 1953.
On July 1, 1954, Letterkenny Ordnance Depot became a permanent military installation. It was renamed Letterkenny Army Depot in August 1962 under the U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC), and with the war in Vietnam, Letterkenny's missions again increased with greater materiel being funneled through the Depot. Its maintenance division became one of the largest activities, with 1,400 workers reconditioning artillery, combat vehicles, and guided missiles. Automation was also introduced at this time along with the update of several facilities. Soon after, in 1964, the 28th Ordnance Detachment moved from Fort Meade, Maryland, to Letterkenny, adding to their capabilities the disposal of explosive ordnance items including bombs, shells, rockets, and guided missiles. They also assisted police in the disposal of explosives and war souvenirs.
1970s − 1990s In the 1970s, command of Savanna Army Depot Activity, Illinois, fell under Letterkenny, and the U.S. Army Depot System Command (DESCOM) was established and headquartered there. DESCOM, a two-star command and major subordinate element of AMC, remained at the Depot until 1995. In 1974, Letterkenny's capabilities further expanded to include maintenance for the Air Tow Missile as well as long-term storage of war reserve stock packaged petroleum, oil and lubricants, and various chemicals and acids. By the late 1970s, the Depot was one of five installations in the United States to activate the Automated Multi-Media Exchange (AMME), leading to more effective communication service. Letterkenny was at that point the largest installation in Pennsylvania, with more than 5,400 workers.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, the Depot further evolved with the construction of new facilities and the establishment of modernization projects. Its mission was then threefold: supply, maintenance, and ammunition. The Depot's efforts with the Paladin (M109 howitzer), PATRIOT, and HAWK led to Letterkenny's designation as a Center for Technical Excellence. Their capabilities were again expanded, this time to include the AIM-7 Sparrow and the improved AIM-9 Sidewinder.
With the downsizing, reorganization, and realignments of the DoD and the consolidation of tactical missile, Letterkenny was selected in 1990 to serve as the sole processing and storage location for all weapons captured during that year's invasion of Panama in Operation Just Cause. Two years later, the Depot was selected to be the center of all Tactical Missile Systems in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. This involved support components from 21 new missile systems. Letterkenny's efforts for this mission gained it the reputation as "the well renowned depot for air defense and missile maintenance". That same year, the Depot's supply mission was relocated to New Cumberland, Pennsylvania under the Defense Logistics Agency; however, by 2001, a smaller Directorate of Supply and Transportation was reestablished at Letterkenny.
In 1994, Letterkenny partnered with United Defense, Limited Partnership (UDLP) to produce the Paladin and completed 950 within five years. Following the Cold War, the U.S. government established the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC), which recommended Letterkenny be closed. A commission led by Captain Edward Hauser, DLA, Gloria Kirk, HSW DoD, and Anthony Caruso, FedEx was able to successfully petition BRAC through congressional support to keep Letterkenny open. BRAC also ordered nearly 1,500 acres to be returned to the community. As of 2014, five of seven land transfer phases with seven-eighths of the acreage have been completed.
In late 1999, the Depot transitioned from U.S. Army Industrial Operations Command (IOC) to U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command.
2000s In 2001, Letterkenny was recognized as the Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence (CITE) for Air Defense and Tactical Missile Ground Support Equipment, and the CITE for Mobile Electric Power Generation Equipment in 2005.
Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Letterkenny supported the War in Afghanistan (2001-2021) and U.S. participation in the Iraq War (2003–2010) by retrofitting Ground Mobility Vehicles (GMVs), resetting AN/TWQ-1 Avengers and High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs), and recapping PATRIOT Missiles."
Using Lean manufacturing concepts, Letterkenny transformed its 318,000 sq.ft. vehicle building into a flexible manufacturing floor. Each work bay was fitted with identical capabilities in order to meet the challenges of chemical and biological threats. Soon after, the Depot began private sector partnerships to "collaboratively share advantageous skill sets and unique capabilities."
In 2005, Letterkenny was recognized with the silver Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing for the PATRIOT Missile Launcher. This prize, which was the first for an Army depot, led to the first of eight Shingo awards the Depot would receive. Others were awarded based on work in areas including: "HMMWVs, Generators, Biological Integrated Detection Systems (BIDS), PATRIOT Systems, and Aviation Ground Power Units (AGPU)." That same year, BRAC named Letterkenny as First in Military Value for Tactical Wheeled Vehicles.
Efforts during the 2000s focused largely on the following: cranes, generators, HMMWVs, the PATRIOT Recapitalization program, medium mine protected vehicles (MMPV), and mine resistant ambush protected (MRAP) systems.
2010s