| Fort Detrick | |
|---|---|
| Frederick, Maryland, U.S. | |
 Sign at one of the installation's gates | |
  Fort Detrick Location of Fort Detrick in Maryland  Fort Detrick Fort Detrick (the United States) | |
| Type | Military installation |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by |  United States Army |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1931 |
| In use | 1931–present |
Fort Detrick (/ˈdiːtrɪk/) is a United States Army Futures Command installation located in Frederick, Maryland. Fort Detrick was the center of the U.S. biological weapons program from 1943 to 1969. Since the discontinuation of that program, it has hosted most elements of the United States biological defense program.[1]
As of the early 2010s, Fort Detrick's 1,200-acre (490 ha) campus supports a multi-governmental community that conducts biomedical research and development, medical materiel management, global medical communications and the study of foreign plant pathogens. The lab is known to research pathogens such as Ebola and smallpox.[2]
Fort Detrick US Army facility is home to the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC), with its bio-defense agency, the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID). It also hosts the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Frederick Campus, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research[3] and is home to the National Interagency Confederation for Biological Research (NICBR),[4] National Interagency Biodefense Campus (NIBC), National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center and the National Center for Medical Intelligence (NCMI).
In August 2019, its deadly germ research operations were shut down following serious safety violations, in particular relating to the disposal of dangerous materials.[5][6]
Fort Detrick is the largest employer in Frederick County, Maryland.
- ^ https://mrdc.amedd.army.mil/assets/docs/media/USAMRDC-Handbook.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "US army's weapons lab shut down after inspection finds deadly viruses could escape". The Independent. 2019-08-06. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
- ^ "Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research". Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research. National Cancer Institute, NIH, HHS. 2012-01-31. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
- ^ "National Interagency Confederation for Biological Research (NICBR)". Detrick.army.mil. 2012-05-31. Archived from the original on 2012-07-26. Retrieved 2012-07-26.
- ^ Grady, Denise (2019-08-05). "Deadly Germ Research Is Shut Down at Army Lab Over Safety Concerns". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
- ^ DiGangi, Diana (2020-01-22). "Army germ lab shut down by CDC in 2019 had several 'serious' protocol violations that year". WJLA. Retrieved 2020-06-21.