Located in New Jersey, Picatinny Arsenal is an army base dedicated to military research and manufacturing. It was originally founded in 1880 as the Picatinny Powder Depot. While it started as a place to manufacture gunpowder, by World War One, it was being used to produce heavy munitions and get further into research and development for the US Army. Even during World War 2, it played a large role in producing munitions. Today, Picatinny Arsenal continues to provide the Army with numerous munitions as well as testing of new types of weapons to maintain dominance on the battlefield.
It first gained the name Picatinny Arsenal in 1907 when the Army took over operations to produce gunpowder and store it. Because of a major accident in 1928 at Picatinny Arsenal caused by a lightning strike, the Armed Forces Explosives Safety Board was formed to provide oversight for storage of all munitions. One of the major growth spurts at the army base occurred during World War 2 as the United States ramped up production of munitions to fuel their war efforts. Today, the Picatinny Arsenal remains an integral part of the Department of Defense's plan to keep America safe.