Hawthorne Army Depot (HWAD) is located 72 miles south of Reno, Nevada. It is the largest employer in Mineral County and the largest industrial activity in the state. Spread over nearly 150,000 acres, Hawthorne Army Depot is also the world’s largest ammunition storage depot, with the most versatile demilitarization facility in the United States.

Established as the Hawthorne Navy Ammunition Depot in 1928, its primary mission was to store ammunition and related components, including bombs, rockets, propelling charges, projectiles, missiles, grenades, small arms, chemicals, pyrotechnics, depth charges, fuses, detonators, bulk explosives, smokeless powder, and fuel-air explosive devices. The depot served as the staging area for bombs, rockets, and ammunition in support of World War II and, beginning in 1944, helped with the demolition of allied and enemy ammunition.

As part of the Single Manager for Conventional Ammunition concept to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness, the depot was transferred to the Army on October 1, 1977, and became Hawthorne Army Ammunition Plant (HWAAP). HWAAP transferred from a Government-Owned, Government-Operated installation to a Government -Owned, Contractor-Operated installation in December 1980 under the U.S. Army Armament, Munitions and Chemical Command. On October 1, 1994, it was renamed Hawthorne Army Depot.

HWAD is now a subordinate command of the U.S. Army Joint Munitions Command, headquartered in Rock Island, Illinois. Its current mission includes two designations as a Tier II cadre site, meaning it maintains responsibility for storage of ammunition to be used after the first 30 days of a major conflict, and conducts inspection, maintenance, refurbishment, demilitarization, and disposal of munitions.