Fort Meade Cuts Ribbon on Defense Adjudication Building

Ten government agencies and more than 760 employees will be housed in Fort Meade's newest addition, the Defense Adjudication Activites Facility.

The official opening and ribbon cutting of the building was celebrated on Wednesday morning with a ribbon cutting ceremony in similar style to ther other Base Relocation and Closure (BRAC) additions that are literally reshaping the face of Fort Meade. 

The building Defense Adjudication building is designed to collocate personnel who handle security clearance adjudication and appeals activities for military departments and the Department of Defense. Agencies not already located at Fort Meade were relocated from Virginia, DC and Ohio to serve in the new facility.

The ceremony was led by Facility Manager Barbara Campbell. Of her experience with the building project, Campbell said, “Each brick has a story it can tell. This has been a journey – not easy, not impossible, but challenging.”

Lt. Gen. Richard Zahner spoke of the importance of bringing 10 branches of the government together. “In terms of Fort Meade, we could not have found a better home for this facility,” said Zahner. Zahner praised the relocation efforts and support that agencies received from the Fort Meade staff.

The keynote speaker was Karl Schneider, Principal Deputy of the Army for Acquisition, and spoke of the purpose of the project.

“We were looking for ways to bring people together and to do things better. We felt that sharing a facility would give personnel the chance to share ideas. At the end of the day, we feel that this move will create more efficient, more effective government services for our taxpayers,” Schneider said.

Schneider addressed employees who will work in the facility, urging them to familiarize themselves with who their customers are and what the product is that they provide.

“There are three elements to your positions that are key – fairness, kindness and a good explanation for the decisions you make,” Schneider said. “If you can accomplish those three things, you can walk out at night knowing you did your job and provided a great service.”

Congressman John Sarbanes praised the “wonderful partnership” the facility will create between Federal, State and Local governments.

“The security and defense infrastructure of our country is the most important element of our government,” Sarbanes said. “Ultimately, this new building will help to better make sure the armed forces of our country run smoothly.”

The last speaker was Senator Benjamin Cardin, who thanked personnel who will be working in the building for their service.

“You make sure the right people are in the right places in our country,” Cardin said. Cardin also thanked employees who were relocated to Fort Meade for bringing their families to Maryland.

“BRAC normally stands for Base Relocation and Closure,” stated Cardin, “In this case, BRAC means jobs and expansion for our state.”