STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Detroit has been a hub of manufacturing for the U.S. defense industry for nearly 100 years. The industry is growing again with a huge new investment and a connection to the auto world.
I was there Wednesday as General Dynamics Land Systems unveiled a major expansion during a ribbon-cutting on their $35 million investment at their world headquarters in Sterling Heights.
Watch Mike Duffy's video report below:
It was attended by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, who set the tone for the day.
“We do something incredible here in Macomb County, in Michigan. We make things that protect those who protect us,” Hackel said.
General Dynamics Land Systems makes the Abrams tank and many other vehicles used by the U.S. Army and Navy, and many others used by American allies around the world.
“Our nexus, Our central point is right here in Michigan, where we bring billions of dollars of investment to the state of Michigan and we’re very proud of that,” said Scott Taylor, director of growth with General Dynamics.
I asked him about why the investment and expansion in Sterling Heights was needed.
“Frankly, the U.S. Army has been looking to put more programs into a higher level of classification, so the secret level. So we had to some improvements to expand the amount of workspace that we that meet those standards for the U.S. Army,” Taylor said.
He says General Dynamics is innovating new systems and are aggressively pursuing the next generation tank for the U.S. Army.
“We’re actually very proud of a nascent partnership with Ford that we have been working with and plan to reveal a little bit of that at AUSA here in October. But our partnership with them is helping them get into the defense sector and us to accelerate procedures in manufacturing as well as our engineering skills and capabilities,” Taylor said.
I also asked the governor about this.
“I think the autos are thinking about it the same way that we are. It’s a natural extension of our expertise and our capabilities, and there is economic opportunity for us. And so, the fact that they’re moving as aggressively as we have been tells you that there’s a lot going on in this space and Michigan is well positioned,” Whitmer said.
Quentin Messer Jr. is the CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. He says the defense industry has a major impact on the local economy.
“Well, it is one of the foundational sectors. You can’t talk about Macomb County, Southeast Michigan and really the state of Michigan on both peninsulas without talking about the defense and aerospace industry,” Messer said. “One hundred sixty-six thousand folks are employed, $30 billion in economic impact and then over 5,000 contractors and suppliers support this vital sector in our state.”
Michigan is also seeing impacts from the fighter jet program coming to Selfridge Air National Guard Base. Camp Grayling has also been selected as a premier test range for drone development.
