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Fort Meade: BRAC to the Future

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Photo: ftmeade.army.mil
Photo: ftmeade.army.mil

Fort Meade and other Maryland communities could see a rush of incoming workers as area businesses ramp up efforts in the wake military base reorganizations, according to a report in The Washington Post.

The Pentagon’s BRAC plan, or Base Realignment and Closures, involves the shifting of resources and services from base to base, and Fort Meade is one of the communities that will benefit most from the plan.

The Defense Information Systems Agency – along with its 4,300 employees, including 1,500 contractors — is relocating to Fort Meade and “local companies are beginning to circle, hoping that the moves will serve as a driver for new business opportunities, whether they be in contracting, real estate, law, insurance or even landscaping,” The Post’s Marjorie Censer writes.

The move spells the arrival of about 1,000 workers a month until at least May, and about five times that number in military personnel, about 5,500, according to The Post.

Overall, military installations in Maryland provide a boon to the state’s economy.

A report measuring the economic impact of Maryland’s military installations found that the bases contribute $36 billion to the state’s economy and help create or support 268,000 jobs.

“This is great news for Maryland for three reasons: jobs, jobs, jobs, which mean economic security for more Marylanders,” Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) said. “There’s no doubt that our military facilities have a long-standing impact on Maryland’s economy, an impact that will continue to grow as new residents and businesses move to the state as a part of BRAC.”

Mikulski cautioned though that work remained to be done.

“I will continue to focus on how federal dollars can help our counties,” she added, “and fight for an increased federal investment in these priorities. My promises made to BRAC-impacted communities are promises kept.”

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