Defense Media Activity
| Company type | Field entity of the United States Department of Defense |
|---|---|
| Industry | Media, Communications |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Headquarters | Fort Meade , United States |
Area served | Worldwide (Department of Defense personnel) |
Key people | H.E. Pittman (Director, 2021–2024) |
Number of employees | Approximately 660 (at headquarters facility) |
The Defense Media Activity (DMA) functions as a field entity within the United States Department of Defense (DoD), delivering media services aimed at informing, educating, and entertaining DoD personnel worldwide. Situated at Fort Meade, Maryland, DMA operates as an independent DoD component under the supervision of the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs.
History
The roots of DMA extend back to the initial issuance of the Stars and Stripes during the Civil War in 1861. The formal creation of DMA occurred after the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) initiative, which merged several military media organizations into one consolidated media entity.
Base Realignment and Closure 2005
Under BRAC 2005, the Department of Defense proposed merging media-related units from various Military Departments into a single organization co-located with the American Forces Information Service at Fort Meade. This proposal received approval from the BRAC Commission and was subsequently endorsed by both the President and Congress.
Significant BRAC actions involved:
- Transferring Soldiers Magazine from Fort Belvoir, Virginia, to Fort Meade, Maryland.
- Relocating the Naval Media Center from Anacostia Annex, Washington, D.C., to Fort Meade.
- Moving Army Broadcasting-Soldier Radio/TV from leased premises in Alexandria, Virginia, to Fort Meade.
- Shifting the Air Force News Agency and Joint Hometown News Service from San Antonio, Texas, to Fort Meade.
- Closing leased facilities in Alexandria, Virginia, thereby centralizing media operations within a single DoD Media Activity at Fort Meade.
This unification improved operational effectiveness and established a centralized hub for DoD media production and services, bolstering DMA’s operational framework and its presence in defense communications.
Establishment
In September 2007, the deputy defense secretary mandated the merger of the American Forces Information Service with the Defense Media Activity (DMA), incorporating internal media components of the U.S. Marine Corps to officially form DMA by January 1, 2008. The transfer of funding and personnel from predecessor organizations to DMA took place on October 1, 2008.
The establishment directive for DMA, DoD Directive 5105.74, was issued in December 2007. The design phase for DMA’s headquarters facility at Fort Meade concluded in September 2008.
On March 13, 2009, Hensel Phelps Construction Co. received a $56.2 million contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to construct DMA’s 185,870-square-foot headquarters and media production complex at Fort Meade, intended to accommodate roughly 660 staff members. The building reached completion in May 2011, with relocation activities finalized by August 2011. Meanwhile, DMA units located at the Pentagon, Tobyhanna Army Depot, Riverside (California), and overseas continued their operations.
Organization and functions
DMA is composed of a central headquarters along with five distinct Lines of Business (LoB).
The Defense Information School located at Fort Meade offers joint-service instruction targeted at both military and civilian personnel within the Public Affairs and Visual Information career specialties.
Media Production is responsible for creating media content aimed at internal Department of Defense audiences—including active duty, reserve, and civilian members—as well as external consumers. This encompasses motion and still photography, print materials, radio, television, web platforms, mobile applications, and new technological formats. The American Forces Network (AFN) provides news, informational programming, and entertainment to military communities stationed overseas, aboard Navy and Coast Guard vessels, and authorized users globally. AFN maintains radio and television stations throughout Europe, the Pacific region, and the Middle East, with a primary operations center at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California. Additionally, Media Production oversees the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service and generates internal news content for Defense.gov along with various service branch websites.
The Stars and Stripes newspaper is distributed overseas alongside digital content tailored to the U.S. military community. It functions with editorial autonomy within its command structure and provides commercially available U.S. and international news relevant to military personnel.
Mission Support delivers essential administrative functions, facility operations, transportation coordination, and logistics services throughout DMA.
Web Enterprise Business (WEB.mil) supplies technology solutions to DMA by hosting hundreds of Department of Defense websites via the DoD Public Web initiative, including platforms such as the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) and the Television-Audio Support Activity (T-ASA).
Leadership
DMA’s leadership is vested in a director appointed by the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. This individual may be a military flag or general officer or a civilian member of the Senior Executive Service. Recent individuals who have served as directors include:
- H.E. Pittman: January 28, 2021 – 2024
- COL Paul R. Haverstick, Jr. (acting): November 1, 2018 – January 28, 2021
- COL Bernard Koelsch (acting): February 1, 2018 – November 1, 2018
- Ray B. Shepherd: February 11, 2013 – February 1, 2018
- Bryan G. Whitman (acting), Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs: May 1, 2012 – February 10, 2013
- Melvin W. Russell (acting), Director of American Forces Radio and Television Service: October 14, 2009 – April 30, 2012
- David S. Jackson: March 29, 2009 – October 13, 2009
- Robert T. Hastings, Jr. (acting), Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs: March 10, 2008 – March 28, 2009
- Bryan G. Whitman (acting): January 1, 2008 – March 9, 2008