Commissioned in 1941, the Naval Weapons Station Charleston had two distinct missions: as home for two strategic submarine squadrons and a tender, and as an ordnance station with capacity for more than 60 million pounds of conventional ordnance. The ordnance mission continues today, and Charleston Weapons Station is the only military installation in the continental U.S. with completely unencumbered explosive safety arcs.

Their mission is to enable warfighter readiness by providing superior host and technical services through ordnance operations, facilities management, and waterfront operations.