RESILIENT MARYLAND DEFENSE COMMUNITIES PROJECT Maryland is home to 20 military facilities that collectively generate more than $61 billion in economic impact. Ensuring the long-term viability of these installations is critical not only to national defense but also to the well-being of the communities that support them. To safeguard these installations against extreme weather, climate change, and other natural or man-made threats to mission readiness, the Maryland Department of Commerce has launched the Resilient Maryland Defense Communities Project. Funded by a $1.06 million Department of Defense grant through the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (OLDCC), this initiative brings together the military, local defense communities, and state agencies—including the Maryland Office of Resilience within the Department of Emergency Management and the Maryland Department of Planning. The project’s objectives are to: • • •
Assess resilience risks in defense communities hosting military installations. Identify interdependencies, vulnerabilities, and resource gaps. Develop actionable recommendations to collaborate and mitigate these threats.
To achieve these goals, the Resilient Maryland Defense Communities Project will create a Collaborative Framework for Resilience in Maryland’s Defense Communities to align federal, state, and local resilience planning efforts and develop recommendations on how to respond as “One Community, One Maryland” while addressing the unique needs of Maryland’s military installations and their surrounding communities.