Fort Meade to celebrate 100 years of secrecy, cybersecurity and military innovation

The site of the military’s — and the nation’s — best-kept secrets is now 100 years old.

The hub of U.S. cybersecurity, Fort George G. Meade in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, remains the game-changer in defense that it has been since its inception.

To celebrate, Fort Meade is hosting a public gala Saturday that will include a visual walk-through of its history.

“For 100 years, from saddles to cyberspace, Fort Meade has been the home to Doughboys and Hello Girls of World War One, Patton and Eisenhower as they established our first tank corps, the National Security Agency, and now: US CYBER Command,” Army Col. Tom Rickard, the fort’s garrison commander, said in a statement to The Washington Times. “Through the years, Fort Meade has always been a key installation for our national defense.”

It makes sense, then, that the 5,000-acre fort was named for the Union general who helped win the Battle of Gettysburg, which turned the tide of the Civil War.