The switch from war-time to peace-time has affected production and employment on Arsenal Island but officials are optimistic business will pick up.
At its peak in 2008, during the US military "surge" in Iraq, the factory, known as the Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center received more than 400 million dollars worth of orders. In the year that ended in September, the total fell to 166 million.
Spokesman Rhys Fullerlove says at the same time, orders from private companies to the JMTC also dropped off.
But as the Army and other services send more work to the Arsenal, the rates for private companies should improve.
Employment at the JMTC is now about 11-hundred - down from 17-hundred in 2008. And it currently produces more than 300 items for the Army, ranging from springs and armor kits to ambulances for the National Guard.
Fullerlove says private orders only account for 1 to 3 per cent of the JMTC's workload, but it's constantly looking for new work.
