Located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, the Pine Bluff Arsenal is one of only six army bases that store chemical weapons. The army base was opened in 1941 for the manufacture of bombs and incendiary grenades. It was originally called the Chemical Warfare Arsenal, but that name only lasted four months. Starting in World War 2, more time was spent on manufacture of chemical weapons. Later, from 1953 to 1969, Pine Bluff Arsenal created several strains of biological weapons, including Agent Orange. President Nixon listened to public outcry abotu chemical weapons and signed a treaty. By 1973, chemical agents that had been produced were destroyed.
Located on approximately 13,493 acres, not all of the land is currently developed. The army base's current mission is describes as, "It produces, stores and demilitarizes conventional ammunition; serves as the Group Technology Center for illuminating and infrared munitions; serves as the Specified Mission Facility for smoke munitions and maintains the sole U. S. capability for white phosphorus fill. While this is quite a task, the soldiers and civilians stationed at Pine Bluff Arsenal (PBA) over the years have done their best to keep the public safe while fulfilling their mission.