By Philip Rucker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 13, 2006; D04

Construction is expected to begin soon on a center for the research and engineering of explosives such as bombs and warheads near the Indian Head military base in Southern Maryland, a major first step in Charles County's efforts to bring high-paid technology jobs to the region.

The Energetics Technology Center, scheduled to open in about three years, is to house scientists developing new technologies for explosives, propellants and pyrotechnics. The center, which officials have been hoping to build for seven years, will be a collaboration by the University of Maryland, the College of Southern Maryland, local government and the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Indian Head.

Officials involved in the project outlined the plans yesterday and opened an office in the county seat of La Plata that will serve as the project's administrative center until construction is complete.

The Navy for years has been developing energetics, the military's term for explosives work, at Indian Head, which is on a peninsula along the Potomac River in northwestern Charles County.

The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission report recognized Indian Head as the military's go-to center for the field of energetics. Federal, state and county officials yesterday described Indian Head as the world's leader in energetics technology development. "We truly feel this is the key that will open up the economic engine in Charles County to bring the kinds of jobs we want to bring to Charles County," said Commissioners President Wayne Cooper (D).

The base, which is the county's largest employer, survived the BRAC process largely unscathed after a lengthy and expensive lobbying campaign by elected officials. The BRAC report also called for the relocation of thousands of military jobs to Virginia's Fort Belvoir, which is across the Potomac River from Indian Head.

Southern Maryland officials hope Indian Head's growing role in explosives research will create a niche market in Charles County for explosives and be a magnet for technology firms that largely had ignored Southern Maryland during the high-tech boom in favor of places such as Tysons Corner and the Dulles corridor.

"I expect really big things from this," said Del. Sally Y. Jameson (D-Charles), head of the county's delegation to the Maryland General Assembly.

The county's economic development director, John Reardon, already has received inquiries from private technology firms considering relocating near the center and is in preliminary talks with a firm to build a hotel in Indian Head.