[1] Established on February 1, 1953 on the site of a former artillery training range, the depot is tasked with providing logistical and maintenance support for command and control electronics systems for the United States Department of Defense and repairs tactical ballistic missiles, rigid-wall shelters, and portable buildings for the United States Air Force.

The U.S. Army has designated Tobyhanna as its "Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence for C4ISR and Electronics, Avionics, and Missile Guidance and Control".

Major Charles P. Summerall, commander of the 3rd Field Artillery at Fort Myer, Virginia, chose the site as a suitable training range.

[7] Subsequently, the camp became the base of an all-black segregated ambulance corps, and a military hospital (19 single-story structures) was constructed expecting of casualties from the invasion of Japan.

This site was selected as having access to East Coast shipping and manufacturers outside of possible nuclear blast radii surrounding New York City and Scranton.

At that time, the decline of anthracite coal mining in the region had led to the unemployment of 35,000 workers, and the new Depot received 600 job applications per day two years before its opening.