Rocket City rising: Why Huntsville dominates space and missile defense

Video

Thursday, August 13, 2026

At the 2026 Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama, Rep. Dale Strong joins Washington Times Threat Status’ Jason Sickels to explain why any company in space or missile defense needs a presence in the Rocket City.

[SICKELS] Tell us a little bit about the history of Huntsville. This is a very special place and we’ve got NASA here, U.S. Army here, Redstone Arsenal.

[STRONG] My family has lived here for eight generations. So we’ve watched from Project Paperclip with Wernher Von Braun, the German rocket team, to where we are today. But we’re the propulsion capital of the world. And I think you see we’re on display right here for the rest of the world to see what all we do. But if you’re in space and missile defense and you don’t have a business model where you’re in Huntsville, Alabama, you better rethink your business model.

[SICKELS] That’s great. So I think there’s a specialized workforce that is here. Tell us a little bit about how some of these companies are taking advantage of the technical workforce.

[STRONG] It starts in high school. We have engineering academies, medical academies that start in high school, and then that prepares you for college. But you start looking, we’ve got the highest concentration of engineers anywhere in the country. We’ve got the most PhDs in an area anywhere in the country, and that’s what it takes to do what we do here.

We’re also home to the University of Alabama in Huntsville with an average ACT test score of a 28.5, but I think what’s most impressive is 80% of the graduates never leave when they graduate. They go into our workforce. We’ve got the second largest research park in the country, and we’re also home to Redstone Arsenal, which is home to FBI, ATF, Army Materiel Command, and Space Command also.

[SICKELS] Yeah, recruiting, you know, getting companies to come down here. That’s a fantastic workforce. And I’ve also noticed we were out in the Decatur area, saw the United Launch Alliance factory. Tell us a little bit about some of the companies and how they can take advantage of this opportunity.

[STRONG] If you think of space, missile defense, satellites. That’s what we are. Our workforce comes from 14 counties in North Alabama and Southern Tennessee. We’re the lead employer for four counties in Southern Tennessee right here in Huntsville, Alabama. But again, it’s a cooperative effort. It takes a lot of mayors, county commissioners working together. It’s truly a regional approach, and that’s why we’ve been so successful.

And I think that’s proven, but it’s more than a job here. It’s about friendships. It’s about things to do after five o’clock. You start looking. We’re home to the Orion Amphitheater. $85 million. And I’m telling you, it’s in demand. But people appreciate that. Recently built a double-A baseball park for the Rocket City Trash Pandas. You look at it, another $80 million there. 85% of the people, when they leave that stadium, have no clue who won or lost. It’s about networking. It’s about knowing the people that you work with. And I think it’s been success. It’s about being with families. And that’s what’s proven to be successful here in our community.

[SICKELS] So for Operation Huntsville, we’re really trying to shine the light on what’s going on here. I think you have developed a plan. What’s maybe that next phase of the plan to help this area continue to grow, knowing the budgets are going to continue to go up?

[STRONG] The one thing that has proven to be very successful is advanced manufacturing. Not only do we have the engineers to design it, we’re able to build it also. And I think that’s been proven. But you start looking at Marshall Space Flight Center, the propulsion of NASA, working with others. Research Park. We’ve got more than 300 of the Fortune 500 companies that have chosen to join us here in Huntsville, Alabama, and it’s proven to be very successful.

But when you work together, this is what you can do. And I think that that’s the thing that is proven. You look at the companies that have chosen to bring their headquarters to Huntsville, Alabama. I’ve yet to see one that regrets that, and so I think it’s proven to be successful.

Redstone Arsenal is approximately 40,000 acres behind the wire, home to ATF, FBI. We’re FBI’s HQ number two right here with about 2,400 in seats today, going to 4,500. And you just look at the dynamics of that. It’s the largest employer in North Alabama, so it’s proven to be successful.