In support of our continued advocacy for Fort Meade, the Fort Meade Community Covenant Council has prepared the following facts about the post. Hard copies are available through the West County Chamber, Fort Meade Alliance, BWI Business Partnership, Baltimore-Washington Corridor Chamber and Howard County Chamber of Commerce (all Covenant Council members).

Fort Meade

  • The Army’s third largest fort by population, with more than 53,000 employees (and growing) across 118 agencies and a supported population of more than 158,000.
  • Home to six of DoD’s top eight Cyber Defense headquarters, including USCYBERCOM, NSA, DISA, MARFORCYBER, Fleet Cyber and JFHQ-DODIN.
  • The most joint non-joint base in the Department of Defense, with representation from every service — an Army fort in name, but with a garrison staff supporting 118 DoD tenants, in reality it’s a massive DoD installation.
  • It’s one of only a handful of military installations with planned growth. $1.8 billion in military construction is underway with a personnel increase of 58% during the past 10 years, and more than 2,000 new personnel projected during the next five years.
  • Nearly 1,800 buildings, more than 17 million square feet, housing 118 tenant organizations in a business park environment.

Economic Impact

  • Maryland’s largest employer and an employment growth engine for the entire region, generating primary and secondary jobs, as well as regional business growth.
  • Generates $26.8 billion in total output and $13.0 billion in total wages — more than half the amount of all DoD in Maryland, amounting to 8.5% of annual state revenues.
  • $800 million in procurement annually to Anne Arundel County businesses, $7.4 billion statewide.
  • Average salary of personnel at Fort Meade is $98,444.
  • 40% of Fort Meade’s employees reside in Anne Arundel County, with an additional 24% in Howard County.
  • 93% of Fort Meade direct employees are Maryland residents representing a payroll of more than $6 billion. As residents these employees pay the same taxes as any other Marylander.
  • Indirect and induced employment represents an additional $6.6 billion in wages paid, primarily to Maryland residents.

Regional Partnership Successes

  • Secured $40 million in federal and state funds for widening of Route 175 between Disney and Reece Roads, and an additional $75 million for a new interchange at Route 175 and Route 295.
  • Partnered with Howard County to reclaim treated wastewater for use in cooling new NSA data center.
  • Constructed commemorative Kaboom! Playground at Burba Lake in recognition of the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
  • Supported family initiatives on Fort Meade, including creation of Resiliency and Education Center, located at Kuhn Hall; golf partnerships on county courses; and batting cages for Youth Sports Fields.
  • Currently planning the Fort Meade 100th Anniversary Celebration, a year-long extravaganza celebrating Fort Meade’s historical role in the community and our nation.

Challenges Faced

  • The size of Fort Meade’s garrison staff continues to trail that of comparably-sized installations. Its multi-service nature and continuing growth in a time of general Army contraction contributes to this problem.
  • While Fort Meade’s employment base has increased significantly since 2009, authorizations for garrison staff have continued to decline steadily during the same period.
  • Road improvements both on and off post lag behind what is needed to support the growing population, leading to employee attrition as personnel get frustrated with traffic.
  • As Fort Meade continues to grow in its role as the nation’s center for information, intelligence, and cyber operations, it is imperative that these challenges be addressed at both the state (transportation) and DoD levels. Failure to do so is no less than a threat to our national security.

The above information is provided by the Fort Meade Community Covenant Council, an independent organization composed of business organizations, county, state and federal government, and key agencies who support Fort Meade. Opinions expressed are those of the Fort Meade Community Covenant Council and do not represent the official position of the Fort Meade Garrison. Clair Louder is chair of the council.