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Army Alliance urges continued support for APG, outlines federal funding requests and job gains
Summary
Michael Ray of the Army Alliance told Bel Air commissioners the group is pressing congressional representatives for funding to sustain Aberdeen Proving Ground missions, cited specific military construction and research asks, and said a new Army Data Operations Command will bring about 200 initial positions to the area.
Michael Ray, president of the Army Alliance, told the Bel Air Board of Town Commissioners on April 23 that the alliance is seeking FY27 budget support to sustain and grow Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) missions and to guard against small-scale realignments that can shrink installations over time.
Ray outlined several federal and state priorities the alliance has pressed with congressional offices: a $44 million military construction request to upgrade water towers at APG South; approximately $8 million for planning and design of an applied science center tied to the ChemBio mission; roughly $6 million in defense appropriations to support bio-manufacturing research; and two drone-related efforts totaling about $6 million. He said those projects could support “over 200” jobs directly, with downstream growth putting some efforts in the hundreds of positions.
The Army Alliance has increased its federal lobbying capacity by engaging the Roosevelt Group and forming a legislative committee, Ray said. He credited bipartisan congressional letters and coordination with sponsors for helping secure a new Army Data Operations Command (ADOC) for the area, which Ray described as an initial stand-up of about 200 military, federal and contractor positions with potential growth to roughly 400 as the command matures.
On the state level, Ray noted a recently passed Maryland law (signed last April) that changed environmental statutes to allow controlled testing at the ChemBio Center; he said that was the result of a multi-year effort at the state legislature. He also described ongoing challenges in federal contracting that favor certain small-disadvantaged or tribal-owned businesses with higher sole-source thresholds and said the alliance is pursuing legislative and procurement strategies to bridge contracting disparities for local contractors.
Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the ADOC and local infrastructure implications; Ray said the data center will require high-speed fiber and that the command already has a named general in place with staff hiring expected over the next six to nine months. He also mentioned a small modular reactor (CMR) discussed by his "nuclear experts" that would supply dedicated power for data operations, describing it as a design the experts consider resilient and safe.
Ray invited commissioners to an Army Alliance event June 3 at the Maryland Golf and Country Club and thanked current town sponsors while asking for continued fiscal support for FY27.
