By Christian Davenport and Chris L. Jenkins
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, May 14, 2005; A10
Maryland and Virginia stand to gain thousands of workers at some of their largest military installations under the proposed base realignments and closures announced yesterday by the Pentagon. Under the plan, which would have to be approved by Congress and President Bush, Fort Meade, the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda and Aberdeen Proving Ground would expand significantly. Maryland would gain about 6,500 positions. "Overall, it just couldn't be better," said retired Marine Corps Brig. Gen. J.M. "Mike" Hayes, director of Military and Federal Affairs for the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development. "It's not just the numbers but the quality of the workforce that's going to be enhanced." In Virginia, Fort Monroe, the historic Hampton installation that dates to before the Civil War, would be closed under the plan, and about 23,000 office jobs -- mainly in Arlington and Alexandria -- would be moved elsewhere. But the state would gain nearly 18,000 positions at Fairfax County's Fort Belvoir and more than 7,000 at Fort Lee south of Richmond, bringing it to a net gain of about 5,000 jobs. "It's partly sunny and partly cloudy, depending on which part of the state you live in," said George W. Foresman, assistant to the governor for commonwealth preparedness. "It's not the Armageddon that some people were fearful of, but we didn't get out unscathed." The District was the region's hardest-hit jurisdiction with the announcement that the Walter Reed Army Medical Center would close. Fort Meade, which has a workforce of 39,000, would get the bulk of the Maryland's jobs by adding 5,300 positions. Along with its next-door neighbor, the National Security Agency, Fort Meade has helped Anne Arundel County become one of the state's fastest-growing areas for defense contractors. Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D), whose district includes Fort Meade and Aberdeen Proving Ground, said that the state "did exceptionally well" and that it would have no problems accommodating the additional workers. Clemon Wesley, president of the Fort Meade Alliance, a nonprofit advocacy group, said that the base could handle as many as 40,000 new jobs but that more workers would increase traffic congestion and put a bigger strain on the region's resources. "We're going to have to look at our infrastructure," he said. "We'll have to look at the units, what type they are and what kind of spaces they'll require. We have a lot of work to do, but it's pleasant work." The Naval Medical Center would balloon by almost 1,900 positions, many of which would be transferred from Walter Reed. The consolidation would make the facility one of the premier medical establishments in the world, officials said. In Frederick, Fort Detrick would see a modest gain of about 100 workers, as well as a new biomedical research and development center. Overall, Aberdeen, which would add 2,100 jobs, fared "very well," said Wyett Colclasure III, president of a nonprofit organization that advocates for the base. But the news wasn't all good: Its Ordnance Center and School could be relocated. "It certainly breaks a long history because the Ordnance School has been here a long time and has a very strong connection to the people here," Colclasure said. Aris Melissaratos, the Maryland secretary of business and economic development, said the state would fight to keep the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in Bethesda from closing. "We're not going to let that happen," he said. "That belongs around Fort Meade and NSA." Officials in Southern Maryland, home to the Patuxent River Naval Air Station and the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Indian Head, anticipated more severe cuts and were relieved at the outcome. Indian Head, a peninsula on the western tip of Charles County, is slated to lose 95 of its 3,600 employees; Patuxent would gain 34 workers on a base that employs 20,000. "Maryland seems to be, if not the single biggest winner, certainly one of the biggest winners in the Pentagon's recommendations," Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) said in a conference call with reporters. Virginia officials were concerned over the potential loss of leased office space, most of which will come from Arlington County and Alexandria. Other leased space would be closed in Fairfax County and Falls Church, lawmakers and state officials said. The shuttering of Fort Monroe, on a slip of land that stretches into the Chesapeake Bay, would be a blow to heavily militarized southeastern Virginia, local officials said. The facility houses the Army's Training and Doctrine Command and employs about 3,500. State officials responded with a mixture of relief and determination to fight the closures as the Pentagon's list moves to a commission that will make recommendations to the president this fall. "I'd say we've held our own," Gov. Mark R. Warner (D) said at a morning news conference. "When you think you have 150 installations that could be realigned and or closed, and we're looking at one proposed closure in Virginia, we can breathe a sigh of relief." But he added that the state is "going to be very aggressive on the issue of Fort Monroe and commercial office space." Staff writers Ann E. Marimow, Joshua Partlow, Ray Rivera and Annie Gowen contributed to this report.