Insights & Data
State Intelligence Briefs
These briefs provide useful details and actionable recommendations for workforce professionals and manufacturing firms.
About the State Intelligence Briefs
CREC created State Intelligence Briefs to support the Department of Defense Manufacturing Innovation Institutes’ (MIIs) strategy, regional partnership, and defense industrial base engagement. Workforce development professionals, economic development professionals, small to mid-size manufacturers, and others in the field will find the state level information, investment detail, and actionable recommendations useful for planning and partnership.
To understand the methodology and data sources used for these reports, click below.
Florida
Florida is a critical hub within the nation’s defense industrial base, bringing together aerospace manufacturing, missile and weapons testing, advanced semiconductor packaging, autonomous systems development, and cutting-edge digital modeling capabilities.
The state’s defense manufacturing ecosystem is supported by extensive operational testing ranges, space launch facilities, advanced semiconductor infrastructure, and one of the country’s leading modeling and simulation clusters.
Illinois
Illinois serves as a national-scale enabler of defense manufacturing – providing logistics, transportation, and supply chain support, advanced manufacturing scale-up, digital infrastructure, and a strong workforce. With the DoD Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII) MxD based in Chicago along with other MII initiatives, higher education institutions and training programs, and a network of suppliers, Illinois is well-positioned to leverage civilian-focused industrial activity for defense purposes.
Indiana
Indiana boasts a unique blend of major defense installations like Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane (NSWC Crane), key manufacturers in advanced manufacturing, a robust defense workforce pipeline, research investments, and accelerating funding for next generation technologies—making it a secure, scalable, and strategically located hub for current and future DoD technology and workforce investments.
Kentucky
Kentucky has strengthened its role in national security through investments in large-scale automotive manufacturing, aviation, advanced battery production, and applied manufacturing research. The state hosts major military installations, high-volume OEM production facilities, and a dense supplier base capable of supporting ground systems modernization, aviation, and energy systems.
Michigan
Michigan combines automotive manufacturing expertise, a dense network of suppliers, and higher education institutions. Along with DoD Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII) LIFT’s Detroit’s roots, the state is also home to a variety of defense facilities, which play a crucial role in the state’s defense strategy and contribute to the overall military readiness of the nation.
Missouri
Missouri is a national defense production and modernization hub, driven by sustained federal investment in next-generation aircraft programs, geospatial intelligence infrastructure, and domestic materials sourcing. With the launch of Next NGA West for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in St. Louis and continued funding for advanced aerospace platforms, Missouri’s defense ecosystem is building upon its traditional defense base and expanding in both production capacity and mission-critical digital capabilities.
New York State
New York plays a critical role in the national security ecosystem through its concentration of microelectronics fabrication, Air Force–led quantum and cyber research, and a deep network of AI and semiconductor talent. DoD Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII) AIM Photonics is leading in photonics-related technology development.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania plays a vital role in the defense industrial base, anchored by its strong legacy in manufacturing and metal fabrication. It is one of the nation’s most concentrated hubs for shipbuilding and defense suppliers, and a leader in life sciences. The state has the opportunity to build on its existing strengths by accelerating production modernization, advancing manufacturing capabilities, and expanding the workforce across systems that are already essential to Army and Navy missions.
South Carolina
South Carolina’s defense manufacturing assets include a world-class naval research and innovation infrastructure anchored in Charleston and a dominant aerospace manufacturing corridor. Together they form a dual-hub ecosystem of technology development, defense production, and supplier capacity that is increasingly unified under purpose-built defense initiatives and alongside adjacent corridors of manufacturing, engineering, and cybersecurity assets within Beaufort, Sumter, and Aiken/North Augusta regions.
Tennessee
Tennessee plays a strategic role in U.S. national security through its aerospace testing infrastructure, secure nuclear production facilities, advanced materials research, and large-scale automated manufacturing. The state hosts nationally significant federal assets in Oak Ridge and Arnold Engineering Development Complex.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin plays an important role in the U.S. defense industrial base through its concentration of naval shipbuilding, tactical vehicle production, industrial automation leadership, and precision manufacturing. Anchored by several major defense contractors and supported by a dense supplier network, the state combines production at scale with research strength in advanced materials, quantum science, and biomedical innovation.