Federal Funding Supports Military Installation Resilience in Maryland
BALTIMORE, MD (October 16, 2024) — The Maryland Department of Commerce has received a $1.06 million federal grant to launch the Resilient Maryland Defense Communities program. The program, funded through the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, aims to help the state and communities partner with local military installations and departments to support the long-term viability of military installations. Maryland will partner with the military, local defense communities, and various state agencies driving resilience planning in the state, including the Maryland Department of Emergency Management Office of Resilience and the Maryland Department of Planning, who will play key supporting roles in this project.
Military resilience is the capability of a military installation to avoid, prepare for, minimize the effect of, adapt to, and recover from extreme weather events, or from anticipated or unanticipated changes in environment. If an installation’s mission is threatened, this could not only have impacts on the defense community as a whole, but could also greatly impact the regional economy by affecting employment and businesses that make up the regional defense industrial base.
“Supporting our state’s military installations is essential to securing Maryland’s position of leadership in the defense industry,” said Maryland Commerce Secretary Kevin Anderson. “Our state’s military installations and facilities provide billions of dollars in economic activity each year. Preparing, revitalizing and maintaining Maryland’s defense communities in the face of unexpected hazards is a crucial part of managing our long term economic vitality both regionally and statewide.”
Funding for the Resilient Maryland Defense Communities program will support the development of a collaborative resilience planning framework for Maryland’s defense communities with the help of local, state and military stakeholders. A number of local defense communities have already undertaken military-community planning efforts, or Military Installation Resilience Reviews, to address resilience challenges such as coastal flooding, aging infrastructure, lack of affordable off-base housing units for military personnel, and transit safety issues threatening the readiness and emergency response capabilities of the base.
The state currently houses more than a dozen military installations, each directly linked to regional economic impacts and workforce, many of whom have already identified resilience planning needs within their communities. The Naval Support Activity Annapolis, which includes the U.S. Naval Academy, recently experienced resiliency threats through flooding that impacted downtown Annapolis. In response, the City of Annapolis completed a Naval Support Activity Annapolis Resilience Review in partnership with the base that identified a number of threats and recommendations for remediation. The most notable included analyzing threats of future sea level rise on energy substations connected to the base, implementing coastal risk mitigation best practices to improve the resilience of city dock from future flooding, addressing water treatment and wastewater infrastructure concerns, and addressing threats to Naval Support Activity Annapolis access roads.
The Resilient Maryland Defense Communities program will also include findings from proposed and ongoing resilience efforts at the following installations: Fort Meade, Anne Arundel County; Fort Detrick, Frederick County; Aberdeen Proving Ground, Harford County; Joint Base Andrews, Prince George’s County; Naval Air Station Patuxent River, St. Mary’s County; Naval Support Facility Indian Head, Charles County; and Naval Support Activity Bethesda, Montgomery County.
“The Resilient Maryland Defense Communities program will help strengthen the resilience in our military bases as well as the neighboring communities throughout the State,” said Maryland Department of Emergency Management Secretary Russ Strickland. “The Maryland Office of Resilience will continue to collaborate with state partners, military leadership and nearby communities to make sure these facilities serve our country for years to come.”
“The next generation of Maryland’s sustainable growth will be constructed on a foundation of community resilience,” said Maryland Department of Planning Secretary Rebecca Flora, AICP. “Human-caused and natural hazards threaten our economy, infrastructure, environmental resources, households, and sense of well-being. In partnership with the federal government and Maryland jurisdictions, the Resilient Maryland Defense Communities program will enable the state to leverage resources, set priorities, and measure progress toward a more resilient, prosperous, and adaptive future.”
About Maryland Commerce
The Maryland Department of Commerce stimulates private investment and creates jobs by attracting new businesses, encouraging the expansion and retention of existing companies, and providing financial assistance to Maryland companies. The Department promotes the state’s many economic advantages and markets local products and services at home and abroad to spur economic development and international investment, trade and tourism. Because they are major economic generators, the Department also supports the arts, film production, sports and other special events. For more information, visit commerce.maryland.gov.
