Press Release

December 12, 2011
SENATOR, OTHER OFFICIALS BRIEFED ON PAX RIVER

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and other state and federal officials learned Friday that Patuxent River Naval Air Station is expecting a revitalization of its overall infrastructure, even with a Commander, Navy Installations Command initiative having been recently set forth to reduce the Navy’s footprint by 25 percent.

“This place is a national treasure,” Cardin said. “Yes, we’re going to have to cut spending in a lot of areas, including defense … But the work done at Pax River is unique to the station … and we want to make sure that this is preserved for the future generations because it is important to our national security.”

The officials gathered for the Federal Facilities Advisory Board tour of Pax River starting at 9:15 a.m., stopping at the Atlantic Test Range and the Manned Flight Simulator. The tour was followed by a three-hour roundtable discussion at the Frank Knox Center, which allowed board members and guests to learn about initiatives in technology commercialization, federal workforce development, federal procurement and

Members of the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, the Southern Maryland Navy Alliance, The Patuxent Partnership and St. Mary’s and Calvert county commissioners were also present to give the advisory board insight into what the base means to the surrounding community.

Created by Gov. Martin O’Malley in January 2010, the 19-member Federal Facilities Advisory Board works in concert with the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development to assess how Maryland can best support and leverage the potential of its federal facilities and connect Maryland companies with federal opportunities to create jobs.

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