Military cluster in Orlando now BRAC-proof, retired general says

The cluster of military and federal offices known as Team Orlando is now virtually immune to any future base closure efforts, according to retired Gen. Thomas Baptiste.

After years of effort and $42 million from the state of Florida, Team Orlando now has an additional 207,000 square feet of space where the federal agencies can work rent-free and maintenance-free. The state will own the buildings, while University of Central Florida maintains them.

The state closed recently on a final building to house the military operations, at 12000 Research Parkway, also known as Two Resource Square, for $19.1 million. The idea is to keep the high-paying tech jobs in the Orlando cluster, which is focused on computer simulation, training and also cyber-defense or anti- hacking activities — and insulate it from being sent elsewhere under a potential future round of Base Closure and Realignment Commission.

“I think we have effectively mitigated any future efforts to move or cut these programs,” Baptiste said Thursday. “This investment is going to BRAC-proof Team Orlando.” Baptiste, president of the National Center for Simulation, has spearheaded the effort to keep the simulation cluster in Orlando.

For years, military and local officials feared Orlando’s lucrative federal facilities could disappear with little warning in the next round of BRAC. There are no new BRAC closure talks planned presently, and President Donald Trump has said he wants more U.S. soldiers, but Baptiste said it’s only a matter of time for the next base closure talks to occur.

The biggest vulnerability in Orlando was the amount of money the local installations spent on renting space in commercial buildings. The military presence here had grown over the years, and leasing space was necessary to accommodate the growth. One of the local facilities is the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division.

All four military branches and the Coast Guard have offices in Orlando tied to simulation and training. About 2,700 people work directly for those agencies, and about 30,000 people in Florida work in simulation and training

Baptiste said the Army plans to make the fourth floor of the newly acquired building a secure facility for cyber-defense activities. The may be additional requests for funding to grow the cluster now, including an advanced research and development facility for rapid prototyping of new tech, he said.

“What this community has done is a pretty powerful story about how much we respect their presence and what it does to diversify our economy,” Baptiste said.