It is the oldest continuously active arsenal in the United States, and today produces much of the artillery for the army, as well as gun tubes for cannons, mortars, and tanks.

He designated the arsenal to produce fixed ammunition and small articles of equipment including gun carriages, drag ropes, ladles, wormers, sponges, and shot.

Nearly 70 years after the arsenal produced its first products, it gained national prominence when it became the Army's first large caliber cannon manufacturer in the late 1880s.

A considerable turning point in the modernization of Watervliet Arsenal was the construction of the radial forge in the 1970s, a $7 million dollar expenditure.

On July 31, 2023, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Sen. Charles Schumer announced the U.S. Congress and U.S. Army's allocation of $1.7 billion in investment in Watervliet Arsenal.

This is the largest investment since REARM in the 1980s and is geared towards improving facilities, equipment and professional development and skills training of employees.