An Evaluation of the Demographic and Employment Impacts and Growth in Southern Maryland (St. Mary’s, Calvert, and Charles County) Resulting from Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC)

The southern Maryland region experienced considerable growth in population when the 1991, 1993, and 1995 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Act relocated facilities from Warminster, Pennsylvania; Trenton, New Jersey; and Arlington, Virginia to the Patuxent River Naval Air Station (NAS), located in Lexington Park, Maryland (shown in figure 1). No longer considered a “Frontier Navy” town, the base has become the Navy’s principal research, development, test, evaluation, engineering, and fleet support activity for naval aircraft, engines, avionics, aircraft support systems and ship/shore/air operations. With the BRAC consolidation and additional multi-billion dollar programs, the station has become the largest employer in St. Mary’s County, hosting three major Navy commands: the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) headquarters, the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), and the Air Test Wing Atlantic.