Planning in Progress

by Sarah Diehl, AICP, Southern Maryland Regional Planner with Kristen E. Humphrey, MLA, Local Assistance and Training Planner

The Maryland Department of Commerce and the Association of Defense Communities hosted the first Maryland Defense Forum in Annapolis on June 5 and 6.

This event brought together nearly 200 participants, including military and Department of Defense (DoD) leadership, state and local government officials, and defense industry representatives.

Discussions covered topics such as building military resilience and readiness, critical DoD technologies, supply chain diversification, and government contracting challenges.

Sarah Diehl, Maryland Department of Planning’s (MDP) Regional Planner for Southern Maryland, attended as the department’s compatible land use and development specialist.

The forum kicked off with opening remarks provided by Governor Wes Moore. Day One of the forum focused on technology, workforce attraction and retention, and strengthening Maryland’s defense-related industrial base.

Panelists included industry experts from the private sector, academia, and the DoD, including: Northrop Grumman Corporation, U.S. Bomb Technician Association, University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Army Research Laboratory, and Naval Sea Systems Command Carderock Division.

Day Two of the forum highlighted state and federal resources in support of military installations, community engagement, and resiliency planning projects.

Representatives from DoD’s offices of Local Defense Community Cooperation, Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI), Army Privatization and Partnership, and others, discussed the importance of military and community partnerships to achieve resiliency goals and highlighted funding mechanisms for state and local defense communities to consider.

The highly successful event provided an important opportunity for local defense communities and military and state representatives to engage with key DoD partners on addressing issues surrounding the economic vitality of Maryland’s military installations.

In future editions of Planning Practice Monthly, we will highlight presentations and resources shared at the Maryland Defense Forum, including the City of Annapolis’ installation resilience planning efforts and their on-going partnership with Naval Support Activity Annapolis to complete a military installation resilience review.

Interested in learning more? Explore the importance of military and community engagement on the Maryland Department of Planning’s Compatible Use Website or contact Southern Maryland Regional Planner, Sarah Diehl at .