Ten Leading Ohio Economic Development Organizations Join Brown in Pushing to Move U.S. Space Command to Ohio

Sherrod Brown | Official U.S. Senate headshot

By Buckeye Reporter Report

Jun 29, 2023

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ten leading Ohio economic development organizations and chambers of commerce joined U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) in calling on the Biden administration to choose Ohio’s Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) in Dayton as the headquarters for the U.S. Space Command and to locate additional U.S. Space Force units in Ohio in partnership with the NASA John H. Glenn Research Center’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky. The organizations include: the Dayton Development Coalition, Ohio Southeast, the Columbus Partnership, REDI Cincinnati, Regional Growth Partnership Northwest Ohio, Team NEO, the Greater Cleveland Partnership, the Greater Akron Chamber, the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, and the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Read the letter here:

June 6, 2023

The President

The White House

Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

As representatives of the JobsOhio Network partners, economic development organizations and military installation support groups in the State of Ohio, we are writing to bring to your attention the extraordinary opportunities for basing space-related national security missions in the State of Ohio. As your administration considers the location of space-related defense organizations that conduct research, testing, and military operations, we want to remind you of the rich heritage of Ohio’s support for space as well as its current assets that can advance a wide range of space-related national security missions.

As the center for science and technology, intelligence, and graduate education for both Air Force and Space Force, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, outside Dayton, Ohio, cannot be exceeded among military installations in the breadth and depth for support of our nation’s space-related defense activities. NASA Glenn Research Center, with sites in Cleveland and Sandusky, is one of the world’s premier research facilities in numerous space-related technology fields, many with significant national defense applications.

Moreover, all the regions of Ohio contribute to space activities through their major research institutions, workforce development programs, and manufacturing excellence.

In the coming years, our Nation will face increasing military challenges in the space domain. It is therefore critical to find partnerships among existing national security resources within government, industry, and academia in a synergistic approach. Ohio’s history of support for national defense, along with its many space-related resources, would make a fitting host for new Space Force missions or the permanent headquarters of the U.S. Space Command, should the decision on the location be revisited. Such activities would find numerous opportunities for partnerships and efficiencies in our state as well as a robust and skilled workforce.

It is our understanding that members of the Ohio Senate and House Congressional delegations have initiated an effort to highlight Ohio’s support for space defense activities and the value our state can bring to new missions. We support that effort and welcome working with you, the Department of Defense, and the military services to ensure that Ohio’s space-related resources are fully utilized in defense of our Nation.

Sincerely,

Jeff Hoagland

President and CEO

Dayton Development Coalition

Mike Jacoby

President and CEO

Ohio Southeast

Kenny McDonald

President and CEO

Columbus Partnership

Kimm Lauterbach

President and CEO