San Diego is among 15 cities being considered for the Army Futures Command, a new major command for the United States Army that will incubate emerging technology and innovations. San Diego Regional EDC will be submitting a joint response with the City of San Diego to the Army’s request for additional information on the City.
“ San Diego easily checks all the boxes for the Army Futures Command. We have a community that embraces its innovation economy, an unparalleled workforce, and top-tier universities,” said Mark Cafferty, president & CEO of San Diego Regional EDC. “ But beyond that, San Diego has a long history of collaborating with the military to spur innovation and protect national security.”
The new Army Futures Command will employ both a military and civilian workforce, creating nearly 500 jobs.
The City of San Diego was informed of its candidacy in a letter sent to Mayor Kevin Faulconer on April 17, 2018.
“Your city appears to have a combination of talent, commercial, and academic innovation, and quality of life that we are looking for in locating the command,” said Under Secretary of the United States Army Ryan D. McCarthy in a letter. The document also states that the Army favors locations with a growing technical workforce and is looking for a concentration of occupations including engineers (biomedical, chemical, computer, electrical), as well as software developers.
SAN DIEGO’S COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
In early 2018, Robert Half staffing company named San Diego the number one city for tech job growth in the first half of 2018. Additionally, STEM jobs are 34 percent more concentrated in San Diego than the U.S. average, based on a San Diego Regional EDC analysis of EMSI data.
According to the San Diego Military Advisory Council (SDMAC), the San Diego region is currently home to the largest concentration of military in the world. The military generates one out of every five jobs in the San Diego region. While the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard have a significant presence in the region, the Army Futures Command would establish a new military branch in San Diego.
San Diego is also the headquarters of the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR), which is responsible for supplying the U.S. Navy with innovative technologies. According to a separate SDMAC study, SPAWAR pumped $1.77 billion into the regional economy in 2014 alone.
“Like San Diego, many cities in the running offer a strong quality of life and skilled workforce. However, San Diego’s legacy of military innovation sets us apart,” said Jesse Gipe, senior manager of economic development at San Diego Regional EDC who handles the organization’s military portfolio. “If the Army views a long history of collaboration with military personnel, a focus on commercializing military technologies and a highly-skilled workforce with security clearances as an asset, then San Diego has a competitive chance of becoming the new Army Futures Command headquarters.”
The other cities being considered include Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Raleigh, San Francisco and Seattle.
EDC and the City of San Diego will send in the requested information by the May 10, 2018 deadline.
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