Through the Department of Defense, the federal government and government contractors comprise 57 percent of Anne Arundel County’s tenant base over 5,000 square feet, totaling over five million square feet. As a result, net absorption has followed defense spending trends closely. Post-sequestration, net absorption has totaled only 195,159 square feet, compared to nearly two million square of occupancy growth from 2009 to 2012.
As cybersecurity operations evolve and take increasingly larger prominence, Anne Arundel County is positioned to capture demand surrounding Fort Meade. The United States Cyber Command and Defense Information Systems Agency, along with the National Security Agency, are all headquartered at Fort Meade. The combination of agencies puts the area in the crosshairs from offensive cybserspace operations to defense information network operations, which will help return growth in Anne Arundel County closer to historical norms.
