APG Needs Brand for BRAC

Mary Paramore
HBL Associate Editor
12/25/09

Aberdeen Proving Ground Garrison Commander Orlando W. Ortiz, left, and Army Alliance Board Member Bill Cox, right, mingle before the organization's annual sponsorship breakfast Dec. 18.

Gary Martin, deputy commander for the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, came to Aberdeen Proving Ground four years ago in the first wave of BRAC movers from Ft. Monmouth.

After settling in Bel Air, he told guests at the annual Army Alliance, Inc. sponsor’s meeting (photo gallery) at the Top of the Bay Dec. 18, he discovered his neighbors, despite their proximity to post, don’t know what’s going on at APG.

“They know it makes a lot of noise and they think it’s polluting. People who have lived here 20-30 years don’t know what goes on at APG. We need to brand what Aberdeen does for the community and the nation to attract the talent we need,” he said.

Branding to attract talent is just one of four issues APG leaders are grappling with as they
address the demands of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Act, which moves the Army’s Ordnance Center and Schools to Ft. Lee, VA and the Environmental Center to Ft. Sam Houston, TX and brings to post Command, Control, Communication, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance from Ft. Monmouth, NJ, Ft. Belvoir, VA and Redstone Arsenal, AL; US Army Test and Evaluation Command from Alexandria, VA; the Army Research Institute from Ft. Knox, KY; U.S. Army Research Laboratory from Langley, VA and Glenn, OH; and Chemical/Biological organizations from locations nationwide.

Martin also identified growing leaders, training the local workforce and collaboration as crucial to successful implementation of BRAC.

“When the moves are finished, there will be 70 tenants from heraldry to the most complex R&D,” he said. “We’ll be at 4,000 people moved by the end of the month.”

To address growing leaders, Martin noted a new GS15 civilian leadership academy. The nine-month program directs senior leaders to address recruiting, internships, and in-processing.

“These are real world projects. Before, they were all focused on their own mission. Now, they are focused on programs to benefit all of APG,” he said.

To train the local workforce, Martin pointed to an April 2010 conference to be hosted by Harford Community College. He said, “We’ll dialog with local (defense) contractors to identify educational demand. We will then put energy into convincing the university system to put in the programs we want locally.”

Martin also suggested a step back, to map out needs and perhaps attach commands to area high schools. He said, “We’ll enrich what we do with engagement and outreach.”

Martin pointed finally to increased collaboration as important to successful BRAC implementation. When the moves are made, he said, “We’ll have 12 general officers and 30 general equivalent civilian senior executives. That’s a lot of leadership the Army is putting here. The challenge is getting leadership focused on what the installation needs, not just their individual organizations.”

Martin said a bi-monthly leadership luncheon to facilitate collaboration is already underway.

Christian Johansson, secretary of the Maryland Dept. of Business and Economic Development, was also a guest speaker at the Army Alliance, Inc. sponsor’s breakfast.

After a round-up of economic indicators, Johansson discussed the state’s new Federal Facilities Advisory Board.  He said, “We owe it to our country to maximize the impact of federal facilities within our state.”

The new board does the following:
1. Support mission with infrastructure.
2. Support federal facility needs in Washington early in the process.
3. Support procurement to supply needs.
4. Support tech transfer. Johansson said, “We are fourth in sponsored research but at the bottom for commercializing.”
5. Support cyber-security.

Johansson gave attendees a preview of an announcement coming from Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley and his department.

“On. Jan. 11, we’ll unveil a strategy for marketing Maryland as a leader in cyber-security,” he said. “The Governor asked us to seize the opportunity.”

At the breakfast, six Maryland schools of higher education -- the University of Maryland Baltimore County, the University of Maryland College Park, the University of Maryland University College, Towson University, Salisbury University and Morgan State University -- set up informational booths to demonstrate their commitment to the workforce challenges presented by BRAC. Organizers noted the attendance of P.J. Hogan, associate vice chancellor for government relations for the University System of Maryland, as indicative of the support the expansion and redefinition of APG is receiving from the educational system as a whole.

According to the organization’s Web site, “The Army Alliance was formed to support APG programs and infrastructure by informing government and the community, promoting a clear, coherent image of APG, and enhancing the post as a national asset. Since its inception in 2001, Army Alliance initiative programs and other programs the Alliance has supported have been funded for almost $200 million. With the signing of BRAC into law in November of 2005, the Army Alliance achieved the culmination of its biggest goal to date.”