Fort George G. Meade

Fort George G. Meade is a United States Army installation located in Maryland, established in 1917. Initially known as Camp Annapolis Junction and then Camp Admiral, it was renamed Camp Meade Cantonment by 1918. During World War I, it hosted the 154th Depot Brigade and Camp Franklin Signal Corps school. In 1919, the Camp Benning tank school was transferred here. The fort was briefly renamed Fort Leonard Wood from 1928 to 1929. During World War II, it served as a recruit training post, prisoner of war camp, and a holding center for interned Japanese, German, and Italian immigrants. The Second U.S. Army Headquarters transferred to the post in 1947, and in 1957, it became the headquarters of the National Security Agency.

From the 1950s to the 1970s, Fort Meade operated a radar station for air defense and was the site of the first Nike Ajax surface-to-air missile deployment in 1953. In 1977, the U.S. Army Intelligence Agency at the fort merged into the United States Army Intelligence and Security Command. The 70th Operations Group transferred to Fort Meade in 2005. The Defense Information School moved to the fort in 1995. The 70th Intelligence Wing headquarters was established in 2000. Following the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure, Fort Meade gained 5,700 positions and is now the largest employer in Maryland with over 54,000 employees.

The installation hosts numerous military and government units, including the headquarters of United States Cyber Command, the National Security Agency, the Defense Information Systems Agency, Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command, and the 70th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing. Other notable tenants include the Defense Information School, Defense Media Activity, United States Army Field Band, Defense Courier Service, and the U.S. Navy's Cryptologic Warfare Group Six. Fort Meade also serves as a storage facility for the Library of Congress and houses various Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy units. The Fort George G. Meade Museum, which exhibited the post's historical artifacts, closed in 2018, with its collections relocating to the National Museum of the United States Army.