Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown Lauds BRAC, Technical and Cybersecurity Job Creation During Remarks at Maryland Association of Counties Annual Conference

 

OCEAN CITY, MD (August 12, 2009) – Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown delivered opening remarks today before a Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Panel at the annual conference of the Maryland Association of Counties (MACO), a membership association of Maryland’s 23 counties and Baltimore City. During his address, Brown focused on the job opportunities available to Marylanders because of BRAC and other federal developments. Brown also applauded the many contributions local government leaders have made in the state’s efforts to prepare for BRAC.

“When we created the BRAC Subcabinet three years ago, MML and MACO stood up and insisted that we also create a Local Government Subcommittee to relay the concerns, advice and input of our county and municipal leaders,” said Lt. Governor Brown.

Noting the importance of local and state partnership in order to make affective decisions in the BRAC process, Brown acknowledged that “because of your input, we included BRAC Zones in our BRAC Community Enhancement Act.  Because of your input, we’ve set certain priorities on infrastructure projects. Because of your input, we’ve kept our promise that BRAC Growth will be SmartGrowth. And because of your input, we’ve been able to remain on the path of progress even during difficult economic times.”

The Lt. Governor described the great impact BRAC will have on Maryland’s workforce, by creating 60,000 new jobs by 2015, including jobs in the fields of information technology, communications, intelligence, and contractor positions. He noted that many of these new jobs will require technical skills, security clearance, training, and in many cases, college and post-graduate degrees. Brown noted that the state’s BRAC plans will also help create a workforce pipeline to fill other technical and non-BRAC jobs for years to come, including cybersecurity jobs.

“We are taking steps to prepare the competitive workforce to fill not only the BRAC jobs that are here already and will be arriving over the next several months, but also the jobs in lifescience and biotech industries at NIH and FDA, and – if we make the right investments in our human capital – the jobs that could create the 21st Century’s Silicon Valley of Cyber Security,” said Lt. Governor Brown.

Maryland is well-positioned to be a national leader in cybersecurity, Brown said. The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) is already headquartered in Prince George’s County and the federal government is moving forward with plans to locate its CyberCommand at or near Ft. Meade in Anne Arundel County – a project that will bring $30 billion into the local economy.

“With IARPA and CyberCommand in Maryland and with BRAC expanding the intelligence and communications responsibilities at Aberdeen and at Ft. Meade, this is the ideal time for Maryland to tap into the tremendous opportunities in the cybersecurity industry,” said Lt. Governor Brown.

Brown emphasized the difficulties facing counties and communities today, including foreclosures, job loss and steeper energy bills. Despite the tough economic climate, the Lt. Governor explained why Maryland will get through the storm more quickly than other states.

“We will get through these days because of the strength of our best-educated workforce, our strong lifescience and biotech industries, our proximity to Washington, D.C. and our relationship with the Federal government,” said Lt. Governor Brown. “We’ll get through these days because of our diverse, broad-based economy that has historically outperformed the national economy, our strong wealth and income levels and our lower-than average unemployment, our long history of prudent fiscal management, and our low debt burden, all of which were cited by Standard and Poor’s earlier this summer when we were one of only seven states to earn a AAA bond rating.”

Brown highlighted sources of job creation and progress that set Maryland apart from many other states, including federal and state stimulus.

“The Federal ARRA stimulus has helped to create or protect as many as 70,000 jobs in Maryland, and BRAC by itself will create another 60,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs.” He also encouraged the continued partnership of state and federal agencies for job creation, “because we are home to more than 45 federal agencies and because we are the Number One per capita recipient of Federal research and design procurement.”

Earlier this year, Governor O’Malley and Lt. Governor Brown created the Federal Facilities Advisory Board to develop a strategic effort that will strengthen Maryland’s partnership with the federal government and compete for additional federal procurement dollars. Brown explained the inspiration for board, saying “Because we know that if we can ‘move the needle’ just one or two percentage points, our businesses can create thousands of new jobs. We’ve been at this for a while and we’ve enjoyed a strong working relationship with federal installations and research facilities for decades. But until now, we’ve never had a methodical and coordinated approach to access and leverage opportunities, and it couldn’t come at a better time.”

Lt. Governor Brown described the impact BRAC has on higher education, noting the BRAC Higher Education Fund that will kick-start important programs at State colleges, universities and community colleges. Along with higher education, the Governor’s STEM Task Force aims to increase the number of STEM graduates by 40 percent by 2015, contributing to the fulfillment of the thousands of BRAC-related jobs that will be here in Maryland by the same year.

Noting the importance of state, local, and federal partnerships to maintain and build upon this progress, Lt. Governor Brown concluded his remarks: “We understand the challenge we face, but more importantly, we understand the incredible opportunities we have. So I hope we can continue working together, as One Maryland, to reach our shared goals and to take full advantage of the opportunities before us.”

The Maryland Association of Counties, Inc. (MACO) is a non-profit membership organization comprised of the 24 main local jurisdictions throughout the state, including 23 counties and Baltimore City.  It was formed in 1951 and is a direct descendant of the State Association of County Commissioners of Maryland.

 

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