By Mike Sunnucks | Rose Law Group Reporter
Arizona ranks among the top states for U.S. defense spending, according to a new Pentagon report.
The U.S. Department of Defense spent $20.2 billion in Arizona during fiscal year 2020.
That ranks seventh among U.S. states for military and defense spending, according to a new report by the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation.
The Pentagon spent the most money in Texas in FY2020 with $83 billion, followed by Virginia $64.3 billion, California $61 billion, Maryland $30.4 billion, Florida $29.1 billion and Connecticut with $23.6 billion.
Arizona is next with big missile, aerospace and drone contracts among defense contractors such as Honeywell Aerospace in Phoenix, Boeing in Mesa and Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson. The U.S. military also has bases in Glendale, Sierra Vista, Tucson and Yuma.
Arizona also ranks 10th highest among U.S. states for Pentagon spending as a share of total GDP.
The defense sector makes up 5.3% of Arizona’s economy — and 10th highest among U.S. states.
Virginia’s economy is most dependent on the military with 11.3% of its economy tied to the Pentagon.
The U.S. far outpaces other countries with defense spending — trend across administrations and political parties.
The report estimates $593.9 billion was spent by the Pentagon in the U.S. and the District of Columbia.
The total U.S. defense budget in FY2020 was $714 billion.
