Ft. Meade Expects 10,000 New Workers by 2020

This map shows the predicted growth areas of Ft. Meade. Click to enlarge.

Fort Meade, Maryland has seen an increase of 20,000 new workers in the past seven years and could see 10,000 more by 2020, according to Raj Kudchadkar, deputy director of the Howard County Base Business Initiative.

Mr. Kudchadkar made this prediction during a presentation broadcast over the Internet Tuesday, detailing the changes that the base expects as it prepares to fully absorb the U.S. Cyber Command.

“This is going to be the cyber center of the U.S., if not the world,” Mr. Kudchadkar said.

Ft. Meade was among five Maryland bases that gained significantly during the 2005 round of the Pentagon’s Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process. And it was one of the biggest winners. The employee count at the base rose from 36,000 in 2005 to 56,000. Mr. Kudchadkar estimated that military bases contribute 7.5 percent of Maryland’s economy, and Ft. Meade now contributes half of that number.

“This is the largest economic community in the state of Maryland,” he said.

Mr. Kudchadkar said the 5,000-acre base could soon see 5.8 million square feet of building expansion in the coming years.

“You need to look at Ft. Meade as a city unto itself,” he said.