US Army to boost RDX and HMX production at new ‘Center of Excellence’

The U.S. Army is establishing a new “Center of Excellence” (CoE) at the Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD) in Kentucky to modernize and expand domestic production of key energetic materials, specifically Research Department Explosive (RDX) and High Melting Explosive (HMX). Announced in March 2026, this initiative addresses longstanding vulnerabilities in the munitions industrial base, which currently relies on outdated World War II-era equipment. The CoE will focus on developing advanced chemical processes and automated manufacturing technologies to produce safer, more efficient explosives, with a goal to be fully operational by 2031. This transformation marks a strategic shift for BGAD, which recently completed its mission to destroy the last U.S. chemical weapons and is now pivoting to advanced munitions manufacturing. The project is supported by nearly $1 billion in federal funding included in the 2026 defense budget, with $903 million dedicated to boosting domestic energetics production and reducing reliance on foreign