Michigan is known as the “Wolverine State,” not so much for a large population of wolverines, which never lived in the state in large numbers, but rather for a 19th-century reputation for fierceness and tenacity, likely stemming from a territorial dispute with Ohio. Ohioans reportedly even called early Michigan settlers “wolverines” as an insult, but today the name is the University of Michigan’s mascot.
It is such tenacity that could help bring new high-tech jobs to what has been a core state in the “Rust Belt.”
At the recent Munich Security Conference, Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced a five-year roadmap to attract new high-paying jobs in the aerospace, defense, maritime, and space sectors.
Whitmer highlights the need for the United States to forge closer ties with trusted allies, notably neighboring Canada.
A New Arsenal of Democracy
Thanks to its large manufacturing industry, which grew in the 1920s and 1930s, with Detroit becoming home to several automotive companies, Michigan became a key component of the “Arsenal of Democracy.”
The new “Defense and Aerospace Strategic Plan” calls for the Great Lake State (Michigan’s other popular nickname) to grow its defense and aerospace base.
“Michigan is reimagining the Arsenal of Democracy and redefining it for today’s world. In a moment of intensified economic competition and global rearmament, Michigan is stepping forward to bolster America’s defense industrial base,” Whitmer wrote in the plan’s introduction, adding, “Michigan is tried, tested, and ready to serve. Alongside our nation’s armed forces, Michigan’s manufacturers and innovators are ready to roll up their sleeves and do what they do best to serve the nation.”
The plan was developed by the Office of Defense and Aerospace Innovation (ODAI) within the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. ODAI was only established in April 2024, taking over the duties of the former Michigan Defense Center, which had been established in 2006 to support, protect, and grow Michigan’s defense and homeland security industry.
“Our mission is clear: to catalyze growth in Michigan’s defense and aerospace sectors by advancing industrial capacity, innovation, and research,” said Col. John T. Gutierrez, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.), executive director of ODAI at MEDC. “This strategic plan gives Michigan a focused, coordinated roadmap to compete —and lead—nationally and globally. It aligns our industry, universities, workforce, and defense assets so companies can innovate here, build here, and win here, creating lasting economic growth across the state.”
The current plan, described as a living document, is meant to combine a “clear mission and vision with adaptable appendices.” It is focused on three main areas.
First, it calls for the state to foster business growth within the aerospace and defense sector. It calls for companies to develop and produce “dual-use” technologies that have both military and civilian applications, through the national “Reimagine the Arsenal of Democracy campaign.
It also highlights Michigan’s skilled workforce, manufacturing base, existing defense installations throughout the state, and its multiple research universities.
It further emphasized the state’s need to advance innovation, including expanding testing and evaluation sites, and called for attracting new start-ups and research-focused firms.
“Reimagining the Arsenal of Democracy for the 21st century means ensuring Michigan’s defense assets, service members, and industry remain central to innovation and operational readiness,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paul D. Rogers, adjutant general and director of the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. “Michigan has a proven history of delivering decisive capability to the nation, and that mission continues today through advanced manufacturing, emerging technologies, and a growing defense and aerospace industrial base.”
Drone Testing Range
Earlier this month, the Pentagon also designated the state’s National All-Domain Warfighting Center (NADWC) at Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center and the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center as a national range for testing unmanned aerial systems. With nearly 200,000 acres of maneuver space at Camp Grayling and more than 17,000 square miles of special-use military airspace at the Alpena CRTC, NADWC boasts the largest overland special-use military airspace east of the Mississippi River and will allow for drone testing.
“This designation cements the NADWC as the nation’s premier proving ground for advanced UAS and Counter Uncrewed Aerial Systems (C-UAS), positioning Michigan at the forefront of America’s defense innovation economy,” the state explained.
It was also last April that Whitmer, who is not up for reelection this coming November, announced that the Air Force would base its Boeing-made F-15EX Eagle II fighters at Selfridge Air National Guard Base (ANGB) in Macomb County, north of Detroit.
“Michigan has always stepped up when our nation needed us most,” said Governor Whitmer. “We built the machines that helped win wars, powered global industry, and created generations of middle-class jobs. Our Defense and Aerospace Strategic Plan ensures Michigan is ready to lead again by growing our economy, strengthening our supply chains, and supporting the men and women in uniform who defend our country. Let’s continue to deliver good-paying jobs, innovation, and ensure Michigan remains a cornerstone of America’s security and prosperity.”
