Wright-Patterson makes ideal location for new command headquarters
Columbus, Ohio — Governor Ted Strickland today announced that the State of Ohio proposed Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to the U.S. Air Force as “an ideal host location” for Cyber Command headquarters, the Air Force’s newest major command unit. This new Cyber Command headquarters could bring as many as 450 jobs, and additional contractor jobs are expected to follow the headquarters selection, according to the Air Force.
“No state is better prepared than Ohio to host the activities of Air Force Cyber Command and no Air Force base provides more synergistic benefits than Wright-Patterson,” Strickland said. “I am very proud of our state’s rich history in aerospace and am confident that Ohio makes the perfect home for the Air Force Cyber Command.”
Strickland is one of 18 governors invited to make a case for the new headquarters location. The Air Force asked each governor to make a pitch based on operational synergies with other cyber-related activities, proximity to technology corridors, power supply, security, high-speed bandwidth capability and other factors.
Strickland’s proposal to the Air Force included a letter supporting Wright-Patterson and signed by both of Ohio’s U.S. Senators and all 18 members of Ohio’s Congressional delegation. The governor’s proposal, which was hand-delivered to the Pentagon, emphasized Ohio’s strong and skilled workforce, unparalleled leadership in aerospace technology, and the world-class infrastructure at Wright-Patterson and the surrounding community.
With 25,000 workers, Wright-Patterson is Ohio’s largest employer at a single site, and is scheduled to receive additional jobs as a result of the 2005 defense base closure process. The base already is home to organizations that handle cyber-related activities, including the Air Force Research Laboratory headquarters, the Air Force Institute of Technology, and headquarters of the Air Force Materiel Command.
This summer the Air Force plans to visit each potential Cyber Command headquarters location and make a preliminary decision by November 2008. In addition to the new headquarters jobs, the Air Force is expected to fill numerous other Cyber Command positions. Ohio could compete for those jobs as well.
Strickland thanked the Dayton Development Coalition for helping research Ohio’s bid and Congressman Mike Turner for leading the Congressional effort to support the proposal.