Red River Army Depot: Serving America’s Warfighter since 1941

RRAD Headquarters Bldg

History of Excellence thru the Years 1941 - 2001

Due to the efforts of a five-man Texarkana Chamber of Commerce Committee beginning in 1939, the choice of the Red River site for an Ordnance Depot was decided some months before Pearl Harbor. Red River Army Depot is carved from 116 East Texas farms and ranches, and had even belonged to the mighty Caddo Indian Nation before that time.. Red River Army Depot came into being on August 9, 1941. Today the depot reservation occupies more than 18,000 acres of rolling hills and pine forests, making it one of the U.S. Army Materiel Command's largest supply and maintenance installations. With the adjacent Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant, the combined reservation is more than 54 square miles.

Originally, Red River was intended only as an ammunition storage depot. However, no sooner had the first trainloads of ammunition begun to arrive, than the demands of World War II caused top defense planners to take another look at the new installation. A good labor market, excellent transportation facilities, and the installation's nearness to the great southwestern training areas and southern ports were reason enough to expand the depot mission to include general supply storage and tank repair facilities.

Throughout the years, the depot's missions have evolved, and today Red River is engaged in activities ranging in scope from rubber products to recertification of the Patriot missiles.

The depot is host to 16 tenant organizations making it a model for synergy. On site strategic partners, each under a different command work together manufacturing, certifying, storing and shipping equipment and ammunition to America’s war fighters throughout the United States and around the world. Red River has celebrated its registration as a globally recognized member of ISO 9001:2000. It is a symbol of Red River's ongoing commitment to its customers that RRAD will continue the process improvement quest to provide the customer the highest quality products available. With the implementation of the LEAN/Six Sigma processes in 2002, quality work for the soldier is important to the employees of the depot. Red River will realize over $100 million of net cost avoidance by the end of the 2006 work year.

Today, the depot encloses eight million square feet of floor space, 273 miles of roadway and 52 miles of rail. Red River is the largest employer in the four states area.

 

Last Updated: 10/26/2006