Why Northrop Grumman has a Missle Engineering Center in San Bernardino is anybody's guess. Before Norton Air Force Base was decommissioned in 1994, Northrup Grumman worked on and tested missle design programs. It still operates hangars there.
Northrup Grumman says :
"The Missile Engineering Center serves as a vital proving ground for missile technology development and provides support to several key government missile programs. The center's flagship programs include the ICBM Minuteman III modernization program where Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor responsible for maintaining, sustaining and modernizing the nation's fleet of Minuteman III missiles; and the Kinetic Energy Interceptor program – a critical boost/ascent or midcourse-phase missile defense program where Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor developing and testing this capability."
I have never seen a missle launch from the former Air Force base and the mission of this facility is out of date.
The leased building, employees, and other operations they perform just seems to be a placeholder to have in order to influence the area politicians to support defense funding. This is one example defense spending wasted on missile programs that do not benefit the district.
In short, San Bernardino's Northrup Grumman facility needs a change of mission and political action to spur that change.
A better use for the center in San Bernardino is to transform it into a Cybersecurity center. This will be more in line with area college programs that specialize in those fields instead of wasted defense dollars on missile systems that provide little to no jobs for district residents.
Northrup Grumman says :
"The Missile Engineering Center serves as a vital proving ground for missile technology development and provides support to several key government missile programs. The center's flagship programs include the ICBM Minuteman III modernization program where Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor responsible for maintaining, sustaining and modernizing the nation's fleet of Minuteman III missiles; and the Kinetic Energy Interceptor program – a critical boost/ascent or midcourse-phase missile defense program where Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor developing and testing this capability."
I have never seen a missle launch from the former Air Force base and the mission of this facility is out of date.
The leased building, employees, and other operations they perform just seems to be a placeholder to have in order to influence the area politicians to support defense funding. This is one example defense spending wasted on missile programs that do not benefit the district.
In short, San Bernardino's Northrup Grumman facility needs a change of mission and political action to spur that change.
A better use for the center in San Bernardino is to transform it into a Cybersecurity center. This will be more in line with area college programs that specialize in those fields instead of wasted defense dollars on missile systems that provide little to no jobs for district residents.
Comments
Post a Comment