ROCKET FUEL

Booming business for defense contractors refocusing attention on Camden

By Mark Carter

Defense contractors typically don’t work to attract media attention, but the spotlight found Lockheed Martin’s Camden Operations facility following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

That’s because the East Camden plant makes the long-range mobile rocket launchers used to great effect by the Ukrainian military. Specifically, it manufactures the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher as well as the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) rockets and Tactical

Missile System (TACMS) missiles it fires.

As of January, the U.S. had sent 20 HIMARS units to eastern Europe, and they’ve proven effective in repelling Russian advances, even providing much-needed momentum to the home team. The systems have proven highly reliable exceeded performance requirements.

As national news outlets reported on the effectiveness of the Lockheed Martin weapons systems, attention was drawn to Ouachita County and the plant where they’re made. The national magazine Politico even dispatched a reporter to town last year to chronicle how the defense industry is helping revitalize a town that’s seen a population decline in four straight census cycles.

And slowly but surely, that’s just what is happening in rural south Arkansas. Defense contractors inside Highland Industrial Park — located on the site of the old WWII Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot — employ more than 2,800, and that includes the 1,000-plus now working for Lockheed Martin.

James Lee Silliman, executive director of the Ouachita Partnership for Economic Development in Camden, said some employees commute from as far away as 75 miles to work for Lockheed Martin and other contractors such as Aerojet Rocketdyne. But whether they live in town or 10, 15 or 75 miles out, industrial park employees contribute to the local economy and raise exposure of this growing south Arkansas industry.

“Lockheed Martin benefits our community in so many ways in addition to the paychecks that are provided to our citizens,” Silliman said. “Our area schools have certainly benefitted by Lockheed’s presence. The company takes an active interest in the STEM training provided in our schools. This is a way for our area students to learn about what is produced here and exposes them to a potential career path if they desire. I tell potential employees/students that you can make a career working in the aerospace-defense industry here if you want to.”

Opportunity is there for the taking. Lockheed Martin last fall announced its second major expansion at Camden since 2019, the most recent to accommodate increased production of the Army’s PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement systems, which include “the world’s most advanced air defense missile.” Last summer, Aerojet Rocketdyne announced a $13.5 million expansion to increase production support of the PAC-3 systems. Other defense contractors doing brisk business at Highland are General

Dynamics, Esterline, Raytheon, Spectra and National Technical Systems’ National Ordnance and Ballistic Test Center.

Aerospace-defense firms in the state employed more than 14,000 at an average annual wage of more than $62,000, per the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, with almost 2,000 industry jobs added since 2010.

The aerospace-and-defense industry is the state’s top exporter, accounting for $1.8 billion in goods, according to the Arkansas Aerospace & Defense Alliance.

In Camden, the industry is essential to a community that struggled in the aftermath of an International Paper mill closing in 2000. Silliman struggled to define the industry’s influence on the local economy.

“It would be difficult to estimate the number of workers employed at Lockheed and the dollars that have been injected into the community over the years,” he said. “I’m confident the numbers would be significant. The aerospace-and-defense industry is essential to our economic base. I would rather not think about where we would be without those jobs. Those paychecks sup- port our local businesses and keep the money circulating within the community. “

Aaron Huckaby, site director and general manager of Camden Operations, lives just southeast of town and understands the significant local role his employer plays.

He proudly notes the firm’s company-wide emphasis on community involvement and his team’s eager embrace of it, from the thousands of charitable volunteer hours per year to the more than $200,000 in voluntary donations to local causes.

Launched in 1978, the Camden Operations facility is the manufacturing, final assembly, test and storage operation for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control (MFC) programs. All told, it encompasses almost 2 million square feet of manufacturing and support function floor space on more than 2,000 acres of land.

In addition to the HIMARS, MLRS, TACMS and PAC-3 systems, it produces other products used for national defense and the defense of U.S. allies including the M270 launcher and elements of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) weapon system.

The Camden facility has been recognized with multiple national awards for performance, quality achievement and philanthropy. And its employees are patriotic and loyal. Huckaby said about one in five has served in uniform, and the median length of tenure is 12 years.

“Camden Operations is the premier manufacturer and integrator of advanced military weapons systems for the U.S. Gov- ernment and our allies around the world,” Huckaby said. “Across the aerospace and defense industry, Camden Operations is known as a highly efficient, high-quality center of excellence. It’s a first-rate facility, and our people are some of the best in the world at what they do. Our team members put their hearts and souls into the products produced in support of the U.S. and allied military services. We take pride in what we do and ensure the most reliable and effective product is available to men and women in uniform.

“It takes the entire team to accomplish this mission, and I’m incredibly proud of the dedication and commitment exhibited by the team.”

The plant’s most recent recognition lured newly elected Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in February. In town for the grand opening of the Camden Timbers sawmill, she toured Camden Operations in the aftermath of the HIMARS system being named the 2022 Coolest Thing Made in Arkansas by the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce.

“I was thrilled to celebrate the grand opening of Camden Timbers and tour Lockheed Martin last month,” Sanders said in a statement. “Developing a strong, qualified workforce is essential to the success of our state; I look forward to working together with businesses across Arkansas to unleash a new era of prosperity.”

Silliman would rather not think about where Camden and Ouachita County would be without the Lockheed Martin.

“The Lockheed Martin operations are a significant source of pride for our area, as is our aerospace-defense industry base collectively,” he said. “We like to refer to ourselves as the aerospace defense industry center of excellence for Arkansas. Camden has always been very proud of our contributions to the defense of our nation ever since the Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot was constructed in the mid-1940s.”