Geier releases study of missile defense economics

Research and Extension Instructor Hans Geier recently released a study (PDF) which states that missile defense work in Alaska added $246 million to the state's economy in 2007. Missile defense locations are at Fort Greely near Delta Junction and on the Aleutians. Geier conducted the research for the Boeing Co., the prime contractor for missile defense in Alaska. The figures include $52 million in payroll and $9.6 million in state and local government tax revenue. For the most part, the benefits are felt in rural areas where career opportunities are limited. Boeing is a major contractor for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency's Ground-based Midcourse Defense program, the nation's defense against long-range ballistic missiles. Fort Greely is home to twenty-two interceptors in underground silos. By 2014 the MDA plans to have forty interceptors in place in Alaska.

Further reading:
• Anchorage Daily News article, "Missile defense site bolsters economy"
• Fairbanks Daily News-Miner article, "Boeing missile work funding Alaska's economy"