The Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD), located in Richmond, Ky., was established in 1941 and began operations in 1942 as an ammunition and general supply storage depot, the Blue Grass Ordnance Depot. In 1964, it merged with the Lexington Signal Depot, Avon, Kentucky, to become the Lexington-Blue Grass Army Depot. The Lexington facility was selected for closure under BRAC (Base Realignment And Closure); after it closed in September 1999, the remaining facility received its current designation.

BGAD is one of two Army installations in the United States that currently stores chemical weapons. Located near Richmond, Ky., BGAD is a subordinate installation of the Joint Munitions Command. The depot’s capabilities include: industrial services support; ammunition maintenance, renovation, disassembly and demilitarization; thermal arc coating for Air Force bombs; water washout facility with flaker belt; Molten Salt Research and Development Facility; ultrasonic testing for mortar ammunition; Chemical Material Surveillance Program; quality assurance and joint logistics support; and ammunition life cycle management. The depot also serves as a large training ground for service members.

The 14,494-acre (58.66 km2) site, composed mainly of open fields and wooded areas, is used for munitions storage, repair of general supplies and ammunitions, and the disposal of munitions. The installation is used for the storage of conventional explosive munitions as well as assembled chemical weapons. The depot is primarily involved in industrial services and activities associated with the storage and maintenance of conventional and chemical munitions.