Harford County could lose nearly 9,000 potential jobs if New Jersey lawmakers succeed in halting the move of military functions to Aberdeen Proving Ground.
The elected officials are fighting Congress? 2005 decision to close the Fort Monmouth, N.J., base and move its functions to Aberdeen. The resistance has been fueled by reports in the Asbury Park Press that cost estimates for the move have more than doubled since approval of Base Realignment and Closure.
New Jersey lawmakers have requested a federal review of the move.
“The BRAC is still positive for Aberdeen Proving Ground no matter what, but Fort Monmouth is the big enchilada,” said James Richardson, Harford?s economic development director. “It would take a large contingent of employees and contractors out of our calculations.”
Most of the 6,600 military and civilian jobs planned for transfer from New Jersey are related to research and development. With them would come an additional 2,300 defense contractors, according to estimates from the Maryland Department of Planning.
New Jersey state Sen. Joseph Kyrillos, a Republican whose district includes Fort Monmouth, joined two members of the General Assembly on July 13 to ask the Congressional BRAC commission to reconvene, re-examine and potentially reverse its decision to move operations to APG.
“It?s very clear that it?s a costly mistake, both in economic terms and in national security terms,” Kyrillos said.
Estimates for the cost of moving the base, he said, have grownfrom $780 million to $1.5 billion.
Vovici Online Survey Software The scheduled transfer of the first group of workers was put on hold last week, Richardson said. Officials at Monmouth say the secretary of the Army must certify the move wouldn?t hobble the Army in the global war on terrorism.
But Richardson said Maryland interprets the law to mean the secretary has to intervene only if the move will have a negative effect.
Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, chairman of Maryland?s subcabinet on BRAC preparations, said the state would move forward under the assumption the jobs would still be coming.
“We have confidence in the 2005 BRAC decisions, and we?re proceeding in that direction,” Brown said.
Thomas Sadowski, executive vice president of the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore, said the 2005 decision was centered on creating “synergies” by putting related labs and commands together on the same base.
“It wasn’t necessarily about saving money, but about enhancing efficiency,” Sadowski said. “It would be an unprecedented act to reverse that decision.”
At a glance
» New jobs at/around Aberdeen Proving Ground by 2012:
On-base civilian, military and embedded contractors: 9,155
Other military contractors: 7,586
Related service sector/retail jobs: 4,379
Total: 25,121
» New households as a result of BRAC statewide
Anne Arundel County: 4,457
Baltimore County: 3,653
Cecil County: 1,997
Harford County: 6,533
Howard County: 1,853
Montgomery County: 2,274
Prince George?s County: 1,996
Baltimore City: 2,548
Rest of Maryland: 2,864
Total: 28,176
Source: Towson University study for Department of Business and Economic Development, December 2006
