Location
Tobyhanna Army depot is located in Monroe County residing in Coolbaugh Township near Tobyhanna, PA . The township has a total area of 88 square miles and is the largest employer in the Pocono Northeast region of Pennsylvania.
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Mission
Provide Superior Logistics Support, Sustainment, Manufacturing, Integration and Field Support to C4ISR Systems for the Joint Warfighter — Worldwide. Tobyhanna Army Depot ensures America’s Warfighters are equipped with the highest quality Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities. As a vital member of CECOM Life Cycle Management Command and Army Materiel Command, Tobyhanna Army Depot is the only full service joint C4ISR maintenance facility in the Department of Defense.
Vision
From handheld radios to satellite communications, Tobyhanna Army Depot utilizes advanced technologies to ensure the readiness of our Armed Forces. The depot, a major element of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command, is a full-service repair, overhaul and fabrication facility. For over 50 years, Tobyhanna personnel have built a tradition of unparalleled customer satisfaction through the delivery of timely, cost-effective, and high-quality products and services.
History
Tobyhanna Army Depot (TYAD) is the largest, full-service electronics maintenance facility in the Department of Defense (DoD). TYAD’s mission is total sustainment, including design, manufacture, repair and overhaul of hundreds of electronic systems that 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.
The Army arrived at Tobyhanna in 1912 in the presence of Maj. Charles P. Summerall, who had been given the assignment to find an appropriate east coast location for an artillery training camp. Summerall was the commander of the 3rd Field Artillery at Fort Myer, Va.
In that era, the Army’s only artillery training camp east of the Mississippi River was in Sparta, Wisconsin, although the greatest number of Regular Army and National Guard artillery units were concentrated in the northeastern states.
After inspecting several sites in Maryland and elsewhere in Pennsylvania, Summerall determined that a location near the rail station in Tobyhanna was suitable. He proceeded to lease land for $300 in August from Dr. George Rhoads, a prominent local resident, and directed the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery to train there as it was returning from maneuvers in Connecticut that summer. The unit remained in the Poconos until October.
That initial camp proved so successful that the Army decided to return the next summer, and to also set up a camp of instruction for militia batteries and a school for militia officers. In the summer of 1913,the 3rd Field Artillery marched to Tobyhanna from Fort Myer, leaving Virginia on June 2 and arriving at Tobyhanna on June 18. The march route passed through Baltimore, crossed the Susquehanna River at Conowingo, Md. and proceeded through “fertile and attractive land in Pennsylvania,” as Summerall described the march. The 3rd Field Artillery arrived three days ahead of the first of several militia units, and assisted those units in their training.
Among the units which trained at Tobyhanna in 1913 were the Rhode Island Light Battery A, and militia units from Connecticut and the District of Columbia. This established a pattern that would last for the next several years.
The camp offered few amenities in its early years, but Summerall assessed its terrain as very favorable for artillery training. Land was cleared and temporary buildings serving as kitchens, latrines, showers and stables were constructed. Instructions for units arriving by train were simple:
BRANCH: Army
LOCATION:Tobyhanna, PA
SIZE:1694 Acres
BUILDINGS:159
PAYROLL: $4.4 Billion
EMPLOYMENT LEVEL:5,800
Tobyhanna Army Depot – 570-615-7000
For More Information
Call the Public Affairs Office, (570) 615-7308 or DISN 795-7308