ANNAPOLIS, MD (September 26, 2007) – Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown joined Maryland’s Congressional Delegation today in applauding the US Army Corps of Engineers announcement of the design/build contract for the C4ISR Joint Center of Excellence at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) in Harford County, MD. This is a critical first step in the transition of Fort Monmouth to APG, in accordance with the recommendations of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission.
“This center will help our nation to better serve and support the war-fighter by combining elements of missions that are currently carried out all across the country in one place, Maryland,” said Lt. Governor Brown. “We stand ready to do our part on behalf of the nation’s defense.”
The BRAC Commission designated APG as the C4ISR Center of Excellence to develop the tools and weapons that will give America's Soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines the technological edge in the global war on terror and on the battlefields of tomorrow. Funding for this project was fought for by Team Maryland in the fiscal year 2007 emergency supplemental spending bill. An additional $245 million has been approved by both the House and Senate in the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs 2008 spending bill.
Lt. Governor Brown and members of the Governor’s BRAC Subcabinet met with General Via and other high-ranking officials at Ft. Monmouth in early September to discuss the move. In addition, staff from the Maryland Congressional Delegation met with U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC) representatives in August and received a briefing on AMC's step-by-step timeline for moving assets into Maryland and a detailed funding plan to support these moves while ensuring no disruption in support for the war fighter.