DMA Headquarters Under Construction on Post

On April 8, federal, state and county officials, as well as military personnel, broke ground on the Defense Media Activity's (DMA) new headquarters and production building at Fort Meade. The ceremony was held on the future DMA site, which had been part of the installation golf course.

The establishment of the DMA consolidates several defense media agencies and the Defense Information School in a single Department of Defense field activity.

Attending the event were Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, Rep. C.A. "Dutch" Ruppersburger and Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold, along with Installation Commander Col. Daniel Thomas and Steve Speer, vice president of the Hensel Phelps Construction Co., which is building the new site.

Construction on the state-of-the-art, 185,000-square-foot headquarters was slated to begin in May. The facility is scheduled to be completed by May 2011 and will accommodate more than 650 employees that are to begin work at the location by August 2011.

The DMA, which was formally activated last October, is the Department of Defense's direct line of communication for news and information to U.S. forces deployed worldwide. The agency presents news, information and entertainment through media outlets, including radio, TV, the Internet, print media and emerging media technologies.

Brown, chairman of the governor's subcabinet on the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) effort, said the commitment of federal, state and local authorities made the day possible. "We're well on our way to ensuring that BRAC is a success," he said.

In addition to DMA, the Defense Information Systems Agency headquarters and the Adjudication and Office of Hearing and Appeals Offices are scheduled to be located at Fort Meade as a result of BRAC.

Thomas pledged the support of the garrison and the Fort Meade community in easing DMA's transition from its three locations in the National Capital Region and from San Antonio, Tex.