"As we transform our post-Cold War armed forces to fight the new global threats we face today, including terrorism, Dugway is uniquely situated to play an ever-expanding role," Bishop said. "The areas where Dugway is ranked highly represent an incredible cross-section of training and testing capacity.

"It's rare to have a place that can do so many different things so well. While some installations face dwindling missions and limited capabilities, Dugway is well-positioned to continue to grow and diversify."

John Pike, a defense analyst with GlobalSecurity.org, said Dugway could play a critical role in developing chemical weapons defenses, especially at a time when other countries like Iran and North Korea are developing chemical weapons.

"To the extent that one is worried about the evildoers using chemical weapons, obviously Dugway has considerable expertise in this field," he said.

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