Tobyhanna Army Depot
Encyclopedia
Tobyhanna Army Depot, is a logistics center for the United States
Defense Department (DoD), specializing in electronic systems and located in Coolbaugh Township, Monroe County
, near Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania. Established Feb. 1, 1953 as Tobyhanna Signal Depot, today it is a facility for the repair, upgrade and integration of Command, Control, Computer, Communications, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR
) systems for all branches of the Armed Forces.
The Army has designated Tobyhanna as its "Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence for C4ISR and Electronics, Avionics, and Missile Guidance and Control". The Air Force has designated Tobyhanna as its "Technical Source of Repair for command, control, communications and intelligence systems".
Tobyhanna has gained new missions and workload in each of the five rounds of Defense Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) between 1988-2005.
The depot also is the largest employer in northeastern Pennsylvania, with more than 5,000 personnel working at the installation. The depot’s regional economic impact approaches $2 billion annually. The depot also operates 30 Forward Repair Activities at major U.S. installations and overseas, including in Southwest Asia.
In 2005, President
George W. Bush
delivered his Veterans Day
address at Tobyhanna Army Depot, commending the installation as a “facility that has provided critical services for our armed forces” and applauded the depot workers as men and women who have been “carrying out dangerous missions with bravery and skill.”
In 2006, the depot earned the Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing as well as the 2006 Best Manufacturing Practices Award of Excellence.
and Klondike, were sites of ice collection and storage, producing up to 150 boxcar loads per day between them that was shipped as far as Florida. In 1912, Tobyhanna had a railway station, telegraph, and post office. At that time the U.S. Army had no artillery
training range east of Wisconsin, and Major Charles P. Summerall
, commander of the 3rd Field Artillery at Fort Myer, Virginia
chose the site as a suitable training range. After leasing land for $300 in 1912 and 1913, Summerall persuaded Congress to authorize the purchase of 18,000 acres (73 km²) for $50,000; eventually the military reservation was expanded to 22,000 acres (89 km²) (according to the Tobyhanna Army Depot) or 26,000 acres (105 km²) (according to Pennsylvania DCNR
). The land was used as a tank
and ambulance
corps training center from 1914–1918, for artillery training from 1918–1931 and 1937–1941, and to house Civilian Conservation Corps
enrollees 1931-1937. During World War II
, initial plans for use of the site as a training site for anti-aircraft artillery
were dropped, due to the long range of more modern weapons - some shells strayed onto private land, and "the Scranton Times reported that crews could only fire one or two shells during each pass of a target, and guns were limited to a 65-degree firing arc." Subsequently the camp became the base of an all-black segregated ambulance corps, and a military hospital (19 single-story structures) was constructed in expectation of casualties from the invasion of Japan. At the end of World War II the military reservation became one of 138 sites around the U.S. holding German prisoners of war
(a maximum of 300 POWs), and was used for storage of gliders used in the D-Day
invasion. From 1946-1948 it was used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
. In April 1949, most of the military reservation was returned to Pennsylvania, and converted into Game Land 127
, Gouldsboro State Park
, and Tobyhanna State Park
, while 1400 acres (5.7 km²), after briefly being transferred to Pennsylvania, were reacquired by the Army Signal Corps
in 1951 as the Tobyhanna Army Depot. This site was selected as having access to East Coast
shipping and manufacturers while being outside of possible nuclear blast
radii surrounding New York City
and Scranton
. At that time the decline of anthracite coal
mining
in the region had led to the unemployment of 35,000 workers in the region, and the new Depot received 600 job applications a day two years in advance of its opening. Tobyhanna is Northeastern Pennsylvania's largest employer.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Defense Department (DoD), specializing in electronic systems and located in Coolbaugh Township, Monroe County
Monroe County, Pennsylvania
-National protected areas:* Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area * Middle Delaware National Scenic River -Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there are 176,567 people, 49,454 households, and 36,447 families residing in the county. The population density was 228 people per square mile...
, near Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania. Established Feb. 1, 1953 as Tobyhanna Signal Depot, today it is a facility for the repair, upgrade and integration of Command, Control, Computer, Communications, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR
C4ISR
C4ISR may refer to:* the C4ISR concept of Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, the U.S. term for C4ISTAR* C4ISR Journal, a journal published by the Defense News Media Group...
) systems for all branches of the Armed Forces.
Current activities
The depot’s mission is total sustainment, including design, manufacture, repair and overhaul, of hundreds of electronic systems. They include satellite terminals, radio and radar systems, telephones, electro-optics, night vision and anti-intrusion devices, airborne surveillance equipment, navigational instruments, electronic warfare, and guidance and control systems for tactical missiles. Tobyhanna is DoD’s recognized leader in the areas of automated test equipment, systems integration and downsizing of electronics systems.The Army has designated Tobyhanna as its "Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence for C4ISR and Electronics, Avionics, and Missile Guidance and Control". The Air Force has designated Tobyhanna as its "Technical Source of Repair for command, control, communications and intelligence systems".
Tobyhanna has gained new missions and workload in each of the five rounds of Defense Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) between 1988-2005.
The depot also is the largest employer in northeastern Pennsylvania, with more than 5,000 personnel working at the installation. The depot’s regional economic impact approaches $2 billion annually. The depot also operates 30 Forward Repair Activities at major U.S. installations and overseas, including in Southwest Asia.
In 2005, President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
delivered his Veterans Day
Veterans Day
Veterans Day, formerly Armistice Day, is an annual United States holiday honoring military veterans. It is a federal holiday that is observed on November 11. It coincides with other holidays such as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day, which are celebrated in other parts of the world and also mark...
address at Tobyhanna Army Depot, commending the installation as a “facility that has provided critical services for our armed forces” and applauded the depot workers as men and women who have been “carrying out dangerous missions with bravery and skill.”
In 2006, the depot earned the Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing as well as the 2006 Best Manufacturing Practices Award of Excellence.
History
From 1900 to 1936, Tobyhanna Lake, and nearby lakes at GouldsboroGouldsboro, Pennsylvania
Gouldsboro is a small village located in Lehigh Township in Wayne County, Pennsylvania.Parts of Clifton Township, Thornhurst Township, and Covington Township in Lackawanna County, as well as a very small portion of Coolbaugh Township in Monroe County are serviced by the Gouldsboro Post Office, and...
and Klondike, were sites of ice collection and storage, producing up to 150 boxcar loads per day between them that was shipped as far as Florida. In 1912, Tobyhanna had a railway station, telegraph, and post office. At that time the U.S. Army had no artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
training range east of Wisconsin, and Major Charles P. Summerall
Charles Pelot Summerall
Charles Pelot Summerall was a U.S. general. He fought in World War I, and was Army Chief of Staff between 1926 and 1930. He was also the President of The Citadel between 1931 and 1953.-Early life and career:...
, commander of the 3rd Field Artillery at Fort Myer, Virginia
Fort Myer
Fort Myer is a U.S. Army post adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. It is a small post by U.S...
chose the site as a suitable training range. After leasing land for $300 in 1912 and 1913, Summerall persuaded Congress to authorize the purchase of 18,000 acres (73 km²) for $50,000; eventually the military reservation was expanded to 22,000 acres (89 km²) (according to the Tobyhanna Army Depot) or 26,000 acres (105 km²) (according to Pennsylvania DCNR
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources , established on July 1, 1995, is the agency in the U.S. State of Pennsylvania responsible for maintaining and preserving the state's 117 state parks and 20 state forests; providing information on the state's natural resources; and...
). The land was used as a tank
Tank
A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...
and ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
corps training center from 1914–1918, for artillery training from 1918–1931 and 1937–1941, and to house Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
enrollees 1931-1937. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, initial plans for use of the site as a training site for anti-aircraft artillery
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
were dropped, due to the long range of more modern weapons - some shells strayed onto private land, and "the Scranton Times reported that crews could only fire one or two shells during each pass of a target, and guns were limited to a 65-degree firing arc." Subsequently the camp became the base of an all-black segregated ambulance corps, and a military hospital (19 single-story structures) was constructed in expectation of casualties from the invasion of Japan. At the end of World War II the military reservation became one of 138 sites around the U.S. holding German prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
(a maximum of 300 POWs), and was used for storage of gliders used in the D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
invasion. From 1946-1948 it was used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
. In April 1949, most of the military reservation was returned to Pennsylvania, and converted into Game Land 127
Pennsylvania State Game Lands
The Pennsylvania State Game Lands are lands managed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission for hunting, trapping, and fishing. These lands, often not usable for farming or development, are donated to the PGC or purchased by the PGC with hunting license monies.The Pennsylvania Game Commission runs a...
, Gouldsboro State Park
Gouldsboro State Park
Gouldsboro State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Coolbaugh Township, Monroe County and Lehigh Township, Wayne County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park includes the Gouldsboro Lake. Gouldsboro State Park is located very close to Tobyhanna State Park and Pennsylvania State Game...
, and Tobyhanna State Park
Tobyhanna State Park
Tobyhanna State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on mostly in Coolbaugh Township, Monroe County, with a small portion of the park in Dreher and Lehigh townships in Wayne County, all in Pennsylvania in the United States. The park includes the Tobyhanna Lake and a portion of Tobyhanna Creek...
, while 1400 acres (5.7 km²), after briefly being transferred to Pennsylvania, were reacquired by the Army Signal Corps
United States Army Signal Corps
The United States Army Signal Corps develops, tests, provides, and manages communications and information systems support for the command and control of combined arms forces. It was established in 1860, the brainchild of United States Army Major Albert J. Myer, and has had an important role from...
in 1951 as the Tobyhanna Army Depot. This site was selected as having access to East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
shipping and manufacturers while being outside of possible nuclear blast
Effects of nuclear explosions
The energy released from a nuclear weapon detonated in the troposphere can be divided into four basic categories:*Blast—40-50% of total energy*Thermal radiation—30-50% of total energy...
radii surrounding New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Scranton
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
. At that time the decline of anthracite coal
Anthracite coal
Anthracite is a hard, compact variety of mineral coal that has a high luster...
mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
in the region had led to the unemployment of 35,000 workers in the region, and the new Depot received 600 job applications a day two years in advance of its opening. Tobyhanna is Northeastern Pennsylvania's largest employer.