Maryland BRAC

Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) is the process by which the Department of Defense restructures military installations to more efficiently and effectively support the nation’s military forces, increase operational readiness and facilitate new ways of doing business. The most recent BRAC process, which was authorized by Congress and signed into law in November 2005, focused on transforming the U.S. military into a more efficient, more effective and more adaptable operation.

As a result of the 2005 BRAC decisions, Maryland gained new military commands, new responsibilities in homeland security and defense, and nearly 30,000 DoD military and civilian jobs that must be in place in Maryland by September 15, 2011. As these BRAC decisions are implemented, Maryland will gain new defense programs and greater prominence in defense and homeland security.

Among the moves:

• The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), which provides complete information technology services to the Department of Defense, is moving its headquarters from Northern Virginia to Fort Meade.
• The Army’s Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance operation (Team C4ISR) – which services the Army’s maneuver control, fire support, air defense, intelligence, combat service support, tactical radios, satellite communications and the Warfighter Information Network – is moving from Fort Monmouth, N.J., to Aberdeen Proving Ground.

In addition, U.S. military personnel will have access to a full array of medical services at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, formed when Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s operations move to National Naval Medical Center. The new medical center will include the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, researching and treating post-traumatic stress disorders and traumatic brain injuries.

An estimate 30,000 new indirect and induced jobs – those associated with defense contractors doing business with the military commands, jobs supporting the installations and those generated in the communities surrounding the bases – will follow the DoD jobs to Maryland. The state is also expected to gain approximately 28,000 households.

The arrival of new residents, jobs, and national defense and security activities to Maryland due to BRAC bring opportunities like job growth, career and contracting opportunities, increased economic activity in our communities, and more. At the same time, Maryland tackles the challenges of providing additional infrastructure, housing, education, and economic development to support BRAC, and of reaping the benefits of expansion without compromising Marylanders’ quality of life.

To coordinate the state’s efforts to address these challenges and opportunities, Governor Martin O’Malley convened the BRAC Subcabinet in January 2007. The BRAC Subcabinet Action Plan outlines the BRAC Subcabinet’s goals and timeline.