by Scott McClallen
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined federal, state, and local leaders to break ground on a 41,900 square-foot facility to transform two hangars into a new hangar equipped for fighter maintenance at Selfridge Air National Guard Base.
The new facility will house maintenance on the main level and leadership/staff offices and classrooms on the second floor.
“This new hangar will create hundreds of good-paying jobs and shore up Selfridge’s military readiness,” Whitmer said in a statement. “We have been working with bipartisan and private sector partners to make more investments in Selfridge by making critical infrastructure upgrades, and we will keep fighting to bring home a new fighter mission. Selfridge is an anchor of Macomb County and an economic driver for Michigan’s defense industry. Let’s keep working together for Selfridge.”
Selfridge is a Joint Military Community housing four thousand families from all branches, according to Whitmer’s office. In 2021, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters secured $28 million for a new development at Selfridge.
The military welcomed the spending.
“We are grateful to Gov. Whitmer, Senator Peters and our federal and state delegation for their leadership and for working with us to continue to invest in Selfridge Air National Guard Base,” U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Paul D. Rogers, adjutant general and Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs director said in a statement. “This investment clearly demonstrates Michigan’s commitment to SANG, its support for developing future capabilities and advancing innovation and delivering on our mission to maintain our military readiness and support our national defense.”
Selfridge provides access to the largest military airspace complex east of the Mississippi River, hosts units from the U.S. military, is located on an international border, and is joint-integrated with the National All-Domain Warfighting Center.
Selfridge’s Kelly Johnson Joint All-Domain Innovation Center leverages Michigan’s research universities, defense industry, and engineering, cyber, and technological expertise to provide a premier venue for collaboration in direct support of the National Defense Strategy.
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Scott McClallen is a staff writer covering Michigan and Minnesota for The Center Square. A graduate of Hillsdale College, his work has appeared on Forbes.com and FEE.org.
Photo “Gretchen Whitmer at the Selfridge Air National Guard Base Hangar 4 Groundbreaking Ceremony” by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
