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The State of Maryland is now ranked second in military and defenses contracts in the nation. The state only lags behind Virginia, and has surpassed both Texas and California for this dubious distinction.

Maryland has become an attractive location for contractors working with the Department of Defense because of its proximity to Washington D.C. and facilities at both the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University.

Lockheed Martin, the nations largest defense contractor, has its headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland. Lockheed Martin was awarded $17.0 billion in defense contracts last year. On September 11, 2002, the company also received an order from the Air Force worth $2.4 billion for thirteen F-22 fighter planes. The F-22 is the first operational fighter jet to utilize stealth technology and is slated to replace the Air Force's older joint strike fighter, the F-15 Eagle, which came to fame during the first Persian Gulf War.

Number two on the list of contractors is Boeing. The worlds largest manufacturer of military aircraft is closely involved with President Bushs proposed missile defense program. The company received $16.6 billion in defense contracts last year. Boeing maintains offices in the DC metro area for its air traffic management, government relations and integrated defense systems programs.

Northrop Grumman, the number three defense contractor, maintains several offices throughout the state of Maryland, including electronic systems facilities in Baltimore and Annapolis. Other facilities in the state include sites for information technology and mission systems. Northrop was awarded $8.7 billion in defense contracts in 2002.

Several smaller companies in Maryland are also lining their pockets with cash from defense contracts. Companies such as Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH) keeps secret exactly what they provide for the government. They admit only to servicing governments through their World Wide Technology Business.

Another lesser known contractor is Eagan McAllister Associates Inc., which was founded in 1984 and has its headquarters in Lexington Park, Maryland. EMA has their hands in almost every facet of the military, although they deal most heavily with the US navy. Government Executive Magazine ranked this corporation 49th in top naval contractors overall. The company was also ranked 65th in Washington Technology Magazines top 100 federal IT service contractors. EMA reports over $100 million in revenue annually.

Garcia Information Systems Corporation, located in Indian Head, Maryland is classified as a small disadvantaged business certified 8(a) by the US Small Business Association, according to their website. GISCs biggest customer for their software development is the US Navy.

On their web site GISC claim that at all levels of our company emphasis is on software development, be it for desktop, a client server application or a web-based application. We have no vested interest in the environment selected by our clients.

AAI Corporation, based in Hunt Valley, is still one of the nation's top defense firms, despite some turmoil experienced by the company earlier this year, becoming a prime candidate for corporate takeover when stock holders tried to force a sale of the company.

Despite the drama of fall 2002, AAI has landed several high profile contracts from the DOD this past year, including an $86.1 million contract from the US Army for an unmanned aerial vehicle, according to the Baltimore Sun. AAI just announced a 10-year deal with the Navy worth $4.7 million for the first phase of its Joint Service Electronic Combat Systems Tester. The system, according to AAI, is used to test the combat readiness of fixed winged and rotator aircraft.

Another high-profile defense contractor is BAE systems, whose corporate headquarters is located in Rockville, Maryland. BAE handles everything from missile defense to camouflage for the military. BAE has recently signed an understanding memorandum with Lockheed Martin so that the two corporations can jointly provide a missile defense program for the US, UK and other countries around the world. BAE, a British company, claimed a profit of over 800 million pounds in 2002.

This has been the initial investigation into the role of the military industrial complex in the state of Maryland. Indymedia will be following up on other facets of this story throughout the summer.