Defense Media Activity The Defense Media Activity ( DMA ) is a United States Department of Defense ( DoD ) field activity . It provides a broad range of high quality multimedia products and services to inform , educate , and entertain Department of Defense audiences around the world . The Defense Media Activity is located on Fort George G . Meade , Maryland . DoD field activities are established as DoD components by law , by the President , or by the Defense Secretary to provide for the performance , on a DoD - wide basis , of a supply or service activity that is common to more than one Military Department when it is determined to be more effective , economical , or efficient to do so . DMA operates as a separate DoD Component under the authority , direction and control of the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs . History . As an organization , DMA can trace its organizational lineage to the first publication of the Stars and Stripes newspaper produced by Union soldiers during the Civil War , in 1861 . The DMA is one in a long line of media related organizations established , consolidated or subsumed within the military departments and defense department . DMA was established as a result of the BRAC 2005 decisions . BRAC 2005 . In 2005 , as part of the Base Closure and Realignment 2005 analysis , the Defense Department recommended consolidating the media - related organizations of the Military Departments into a single organization and co - locating it with the American Forces Information Service ( an existing DoD field activity ) . The Defense Base Closure and Realignment ( BRAC ) Commission accepted the DoD recommendation and included the recommendation in its report to the President on September 8 , 2005 . On September 8 , 2005 the President approved the BRAC Commission recommendations and forwarded them to the United States Congress . On September 20 , 2005 vote , the US Congress failed to disapproved the BRAC Commission ' s recommendations . Under the provisions of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 ( Public Law 101 - 510 ) the recommendations were effectively ' approved ' . The approved BRAC actions were to : Establishment . In September 2007 , the deputy defense secretary recognized that the BRAC 2005 decision would result in two field activities co - located at Fort Meade – the American Forces Information Service and DMA – and directed several actions . DMA ’ s chartering directive , DoD Directive 5105 . 74 , Defense Media Activity , was published on December 18 , 2007 . DMA was formally established on January 1 , 2008 , and the people and funding from the predecessor organizations was transferred to DMA on October 1 , 2008 . The elements required to move to Fort Meade by the BRAC 2005 decision remained in their facilities as their facility at Fort Meade was designed and constructed . The building design was completed in September 2008 . On March 13 , 2009 , the U . S . Army Corps of Engineers , Baltimore District , awarded a $ 56 , 195 , 000 contract to Hensel Phelps Construction Co . of Chantilly , Virginia , to construct DMA ’ s headquarters and media production center Fort Meade , Maryland . It is a 185 , 870 square - foot facility built to house approximately 660 personnel . The building was completed in May 2011 and organizations began moving into the facility in June 2011 . The move was completed in August 2011 . DMA elements located in the Pentagon , Washington , D . C . , Tobyhanna Army Depot , Riverside , California and all overseas locations remained in place . Organization and Functions . Organization and Functions DMA is composed of a headquarters and seven operating components . The American Forces Radio and Television Service ( AFRTS ) component delivers , via the American Forces Network ( AFN ) , U . S . radio and television news , information , and entertainment programming to active , guard , and reserve military service members , DoD civilians and contract employees , and their families overseas , on board Navy and Coast Guard ships , and to other authorized users . Includes radio and television stations in military communities in Europe , Pacific and the Middle East ; and include its central broadcasting hub , the AFN Broadcast Center in Riverside , California , USA . The Defense Information School provides joint - service training to Defense military and civilian personnel in the career fields of Public Affairs and Visual Information . The school is located at Fort Meade , Maryland . The Defense Visual Information component manages the Defense Department ’ s visual information records , provides visual information services to other DoD components and manages the Joint Combat Camera program . It operates the operates the Defense Imagery Management Operations Center ( DIMOC ) centered at Fort Meade , Maryland with elements in Riverside , California and Tobyhanna Army Depot in Pennsylvania . The Production component produces media and visual information products to the internal DoD family ( active , guard , and reserve military service members , dependents , retirees , DoD civilians , and contract employees ) and external audiences through all available media , including : motion and still imagery ; print ; radio ; television ; web and related emerging internet , mobile , and other communication technologies . Also includes communication of messages and themes from senior DoD leaders in order to support and improve quality of life and morale , promote situational awareness , provide timely and immediate force protection information , and sustain readiness . Services include American Forces Press Service , Pentagon Channel , the Joint Hometown News Service , and providing internal news and information products for Defense . gov , Army . mil , Navy . mil , Marines . mil , and AF . mil . The Stars and Stripes produces and delivers a newspaper distributed overseas ( and on - line products ) for the U . S . military community . Editorially independent of interference from outside its own editorial chain - of - command , it provides commercially available U . S . and world news and objective staff - produced stories relevant to the military community . The Support Services component provides activity - wide administrative , facility management , transportation and logistics services . The Technical Services component provides technology services to the other DMA components , hosts hundreds of DoD web sites through the DoD Public Web program and the Television - Audio Support Activity ( T - ASA ) . Leadership . DMA is led by a director appointed by the ASD ( PA ) and may be a military flag or general officer , or a civilian appointed as a career member of the Senior Executive Service . The following is a list of DMA ’ s directors .