Fort Meade Does Away With DOD Decals

Visitors to Fort Meade will no longer be required to have Department of Defense decals on their cars, under a new policy endorsed by the Army.

Starting on Nov. 5, regular visitors will only be required to show a Civilian Access Card or a military identification card to drive onto base.

The Department of the Army recommended the change in policy in September, but left the final decision up to the commanders of each installation.

In a press release, Fort Meade’s installation commander endorsed the change as part of an ongoing effort to make things easier for residents, workers and visitors on base.

“As we take hard looks at ways to improve services and efficiencies, we saw the elimination of the decal program as a cost saving measure which won’t impact our security considerations in any way,” Col. Edward Rothstein said.

He also said the policy change will help people outside the community realize that there are events on Fort Meade that are open to the public.

“I see elimination of the decal as another measure we can take to help our neighbors in the community understand that they are welcomed on Fort Meade,” Rothstein said. “We have lots of events and programs that are open to the public and you don’t need a special decal to become involved with them.”

All visitors will be still be required to provide identification in the form of a driver's license or other official means.

Visitors who do not have a military identification pass or Civilian Access Card can still get on base by obtaining a daily pass at the visitor’s center near Reece Road and Route 175.

All cars still must be registered and insured according to Maryland law, and will be subject to a security inspection.

Fort Meade will continue to issue DOD decals through Oct. 31, and there is no need to remove the decal from your car if you already have one.

Editor's Note: Originally, this story was published as saying the new policy was set to begin on Nov. 1. That information has been changed and updated base on a release from Fort Meade's Office of Public Affairs. The new policy will now take effect on Nov. 5.