Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Reimagining the Arsenal of Democracy: How Michigan Leads the Defense Industry
No other state offers the dense network of defense companies, military installations, and cutting-edge research institutions that Michigan does – coupled with a drive to innovate for long-term strategic advantage.
Michigan stands as a national leader in defense, advanced manufacturing, and innovation, with $30 billion in economic activity, more than 166,000 jobs and nearly 5,000 Michigan businesses serving the defense, defense aerospace and homeland security industries. In addition, 17 commands, military organizations and installations deliver critical capabilities to support U.S. military readiness and innovation for long-term advantage. The “Make It in Michigan” economic development strategy supports the defense industry through a focus on high-value skills for people, attractive places, and impactful projects.
In the early years of World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt called on Americans to step up as the “arsenal of democracy” in support of the Allied powers, and Detroit answered the call. Chrysler’s Detroit Arsenal Tank plant built half of all tanks made in the U.S. Ford’s Willow Run plant ramped up to finish one B-24 bomber every hour.
Today, Michigan is reimagining the Arsenal of Democracy as the Arsenal of Innovation, the place where history is made and records are broken. Selfridge Air National Guard Base will be home to one of the newest aircraft in the U.S. Air Force, the F-15EX. The Office of Defense and Aerospace Innovation leverages Michigan’s defense and aerospace capabilities to meet the evolving needs of our nation and its allies. The National All-Domain Warfighting Center, paired with the “Infrastructure for Innovation” agreement, provides an unparalleled opportunity for entrepreneurs to test and refine their inventions.
Through it all, Michigan leads.
This leadership was on full display in Spring 2025, when nine teams entered the first-ever Uncrewed Triple Challenge (UTC), a groundbreaking, state-sponsored competition of autonomous drones across water, air, and land.
When the results were in, the UTC revealed a major leap forward from an American company over its foreign rivals, with implications for national competitiveness and defense in a crucial sector. Why did this happen in Michigan? The state’s advantages come down to integration across multiple domains and innovation that translates action into impact.
Innovation is incredibly important to the defense industry. You always want to maintain an advantage over your adversaries in the technology you're using and the capabilities, tactics, techniques and procedures you employ. That's exactly what the Uncrewed Triple Challenge is about. It's an open competition to bring your technology, see how it endures the rigors of the course, and see what you can improve for next year.
Integration: Air, Land, Maritime, and Beyond
Air
At Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan is securing a ‘game-changing’ new mission of F-15EX fighters, as announced in April 2025. The president’s announcement cements years of bipartisan advocacy by state officials, the congressional delegation, and local partners to protect Selfridge’s $850 million annual economic impact. The F-15EX, a Boeing aircraft which entered service in July 2024, is expected to replace the remaining F-15C/D fighters in the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard. With its legacy of serving F-16s and A-10s, Selfridge is well equipped to support a fighter mission, which includes not just aircraft but also auxiliary and support staff and materials. The base will also host a new KC-46A tanker mission, announced in January 2024.
Michigan’s strategic approach to advanced air mobility includes development of an integrated manufacturing and innovation ecosystem through the AAM Activation Fund, which supported four major projects in 2024, and through its Michigan AAM Initiative, established through an executive directive in July 2025.
Advanced air mobility also played a major role in the Uncrewed Triple Challenge, which challenged teams to autonomously transport a package across water, air, and land with no human intervention through a rigorous course: 10 miles on the water from the Alpena harbor into Thunder Bay and back, 58.5 miles through the skies to Camp Grayling, and 23.5 miles across rugged terrain to the finish line.
At the UTC, drone manufacturer SiFly came into its own as a world record holder. On May 20, 2025, its Q12 became the longest-flying delivery quadcopter in the world. It carried a 10.6-pound payload as it completed a 63-mile autonomous mission, with two 26-mile legs per battery – more than double the previous 11-mile record – while battling sustained 15 mph winds, with gusts up to 32 mph.
Land
Just north of Detroit, Macomb County is the site of the Michigan Defense Corridor, a concentration of defense companies and military facilities including BAE Systems, General Dynamics Land Systems, Oshkosh Defense, GM Defense, and Raytheon Technologies. In 2024, Macomb County companies were awarded more than 4,800 defense contracts worth $3.2 billion.
The U.S. Army Detroit Arsenal, also located in the Corridor, is home to two Army Commands and several related organizations. One is the Army Contracting Command-Detroit Arsenal, which handles contracting for 70% of everything the Army buys. Another is the Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC), the nation’s laboratory for advanced military automotive technology, where more than 1,000 researchers and engineers develop and maintain vehicles for all U.S. Army Forces, many federal agencies and more than 60 foreign countries.
AM General LLC, which produces specialized vehicles for military and other customers, sited its Technology & Engineering Center in Auburn Hills. ND Defense, maker of the ATLAS family of all-terrain vehicles with military-grade engineering, among other vehicles and battlefield systems, is headquartered in Madison Heights.
“We produce more military vehicles than any other state and are home to major defense companies including General Dynamics, BAE, and GM Defense. With our growing veteran population—over 670,000 strong—Michigan is primed to remain a manufacturing powerhouse,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
The U.S. Army announced in 2023 that two Michigan companies – General Dynamics Land Systems and American Rheinmetall Vehicles – had been chosen as finalists in the XM30 Combat Vehicle program to replace the 1980’s-era Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle. Both were contracted by the army to provide prototype vehicles for test and evaluation, with plans to select one of the vehicles for production in late Fiscal Year 2027.
In January 2024, a squad of soldiers from Fort Riley, Kansas visited the Detroit Arsenal for two-week touchpoint. The soldiers reviewed plans and interacted with mock-ups of potential future designs of the XM30, providing insights and feedback to the two vendors.
Maritime
Michigan’s manufacturing prowess also benefits naval applications, and in July 2024, Gov. Whitmer announced a $50+ million partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense and Department of Labor called the Michigan Maritime Manufacturing (M3) Initiative, oriented toward education and supplier development.
The M3 Initiative teaches critical skills for maritime construction, particularly in maritime welding and machining, through local community colleges and connects K-12 students with hands-on career and technical education. The Office of Defense and Aerospace Innovation also reaches M3 suppliers through a monthly webinar series and through an invitation-only supplier conference focused on specific commodities related to submarine and shipbuilding opportunities.
In Houghton County in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, one of those suppliers has a growing national and international presence. Great Lakes Sound and Vibration (GLSV) was selected in 2022 to supply exhaust mufflers for the U.S. Marine Corps Assault Amphibious Vehicle (AAV). The AAV is a fully tracked amphibious landing vehicle and is the current amphibious troop transport vehicle of the United States Marine Corps.
Statewide Integration
Michigan’s defense assets span every region of the state. The Michigan National Guard’s National All-Domain Warfighting Center (NADWC) stretches across northern Michigan, incorporating the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, the largest military airspace east of the Mississippi River with 17,000 square miles of special-use military airspace, and Camp Grayling, the nation’s largest National Guard training installation. It provides training for the Department of Defense and other government agencies across land, air, maritime, cyber, and space domains.
How can we build and test technologies in military spec environments? How can we test them much better, faster, cheaper? If a company is in Los Angeles, they're driving out to the Mojave Desert and spending thousands of dollars per minute, and there's a six-to-eight-month backlog on testing. With the National Guard assets here, you can test tomorrow. We have startups that are already testing here today, at Camp Grayling.
Innovation: From Action to Impact
In 2024, Michigan officially launched its first “Infrastructure for Innovation” agreement between the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and the Michigan National Guard (MING) to engage Michigan’s defense-focused innovation resources and make relevant critical infrastructure available to entrepreneurs so they can advance and test their ideas. The Infrastructure for Innovation initiative was created by an Executive Directive instructing state agencies to catalogue technology, equipment, and facilities across the state and work with the owners to make it available to innovators who need it.
We have to win in all conditions. To showcase the capabilities of our great state and take advantage of our industrial and manufacturing base so we're not just getting supplies from certain countries but building our own – that’s a big deal. Tying it to all the assets we already have – that's a game changer. If we can bring together those who are innovating at small and mid-size companies and work with those manufacturers and supply chains, that's a win for everybody.
Defense innovators in Michigan can also lean on the Office of Defense and Aerospace Innovation (ODAI), created in April 2024 to help continue the work of the Michigan Defense Center in supporting the growth of defense and aerospace-related jobs in Michigan while increasing federal Department of Defense spending and industry-related R&D in the state.
“Our mission is to catalyze growth within the state’s aerospace and defense sectors while advancing defense innovation and research opportunities that benefit Michigan," said Col. John Gutierrez, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.), Director of ODAI. "The state has over 4,000 defense and 900 aerospace businesses. They contribute $30 billion to the state economy and create over 166,000 jobs. Our vision is to “Reimagine the Arsenal of Democracy” and our approach involves three lines of effort: fostering business growth, amplifying Michigan’s advantages, and setting the conditions to advance innovation.”
The office also supports growth in advanced aerial mobility innovation, testing, and attraction in both defense and commercial-related applications, leveraging the work of the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME).
“The objective is for startups and entrepreneurs to be able to design, prototype, test, validate, deploy, demonstrate, and full-scope production and manufacturing, all in one place. You can do that within a four-hour drive in Michigan, which is critical. All this infrastructure from the automotive, defense and aerospace industries can be used to push this mission forward,” said Parthiban.
The impact of this strategy was on display in February 2025, when a Michigan delegation attended the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) in Abu Dhabi, one of the world’s premier defense and security trade shows. Michigan companies exhibiting at IDEX included Bliss Munitions Equipment, Cobra Aero, CT Group, LLC, MCM Learning, Inc., Oasis Advanced Engineering, Inc., Singh Automation, Virtual Sandtable, and VS Aviation. Collectively, they achieved $3.5 million in expected sales in the next three months, for a significant return on investment.
You’re Invited
Michigan’s leadership in defense innovation means people are talking. If your company has something to offer and you’re ready for people to talk about you, you’re invited to come build with us. In Michigan, you’ll find the people, places, and projects that complement your own, and discover that you can “Make It” in Michigan.
Learn more about opportunities for defense innovators in Michigan.
The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.