Southern Maryland Wins in BRAC Process
I am very pleased with the outcome of this BRAC round, and am proud that the Pentagon recognized how vital Southern Maryland's installations are to our national security, especially during the ongoing War on Terror.
It has been a decade since the last round of base closings by the Pentagon, and Maryland's elected officials, defense officials, and business and community leaders have been working tirelessly over the past ten years to prepare for this BRAC round. Community organizations in both counties, led by the Navy Alliances, the Chambers of Commerce from all three counties, and the Patuxent Partnership, were invaluable partners in the process, and provided the knowledge, support, and information that made this year's success possible. This unparalleled teamwork proved crucial in our successful fight to keep these bases open.
The State of Maryland and Southern Maryland will see tangible results from the millions of dollars we have invested in consolidating missions at Indian Head and Pax River and from the dedicated work of so many people, including:
•An overall gain in military jobs for Maryland
•Potentially 9,000 new jobs in the state overall
•Close to 100 new personnel at Pax River
•The official designation of Indian Head as a DoD Center for Energetics, which leads the way in energetics work
•Retention of all energetics capabilities at Indian Head, as well as retention of the core energetics function and tenant activities at Indian Head (including the Chemical Biological Incident Response Force [CBIRF] and Joint Interoperability Test Command [JITC])
•Fort Monmouth moving a major communications research function to Aberdeen Proving Grounds.
Taken together, these results will bolster the nation's defense capabilities, will help our fight against terrorists at home and abroad, and will spur economic and job growth in Maryland.
Fighting for Southern Maryland's bases is one of my top priorities in Congress, and I am pleased that the Pentagon was able to see what the people of Southern Maryland already know: that our bases, because of the talented men and women who work at them, are some of the most advanced and important military installations in the country. Along with the rest of the Maryland delegation, I will work to make certain that they stay this way.
The quality of our facilities has enabled me to secure a great deal of federal funding, including the addition of tens of millions of dollars within the past year. This funding will enhance the ability of Patuxent River and Webster Field to support research, development, testing and evaluation for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and Unmanned Combat Vehicle programs. UAVs have played a critical role in the combat zones of Afghanistan and Iraq and have helped soldiers penetrate areas that would otherwise be too dangerous to enter.
Furthermore, I was able to secure millions of dollars in funding for other important local projects through the Fiscal Year 2006 Department of Defense Appropriations Bill. When enacted, this bill will allow Pax River to make additional upgrades to several already world class facilities, including the Advanced Maritime Technology Center (AMTC), the Air Combat Environment Test and Evaluation Facilities (ACETEF), and the Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS), to name a few.
We must now turn our attention to successfully implementing the BRAC Commission's recommendations, and look towards the future. We welcome the new additions to our community and we will continue to work with individuals whose positions are being moved or eliminated to provide them with other local opportunities.
The hard work and preparation that led to the success of this year's BRAC round provide us with a solid foundation to continue promoting Southern Maryland's interests when future BRAC commissions are convened. The area's elected officials and defense community will continue to work together to ensure that our bases are serving the nation's military and security needs in the 21st century and beyond.