Northrop Grumman Corp. celebrated the groundbreaking of its future headquarters for its Ground Based Strategic Deterrent program near Hill Air Force Base in Utah, which is slated to add 2,500 jobs.
The headquarters, scheduled to be completed by mid-2020, will support the workforce and nationwide team supporting the program as it plans to replace the country’s outdated and aging intercontinental ballistic missile system.
“Modernizing the current ICBM system is a national security priority, and we are proud to be here today to reinforce our commitment to the U.S. Air Force on GBSD and our readiness to deliver on this critical mission,” said Kathy Warden, Northrop Grumman chairman, CEO and president.
Warden was joined by Sens. Mike Lee and Mitt Romney as well as Reps. Rob Bishop and Chris Stewart and local community leaders at the Aug. 27 groundbreaking.
[addthis tool=”addthis_relatedposts_inline_va7y”]“For more than 60 years, Northrop Grumman has supported the Air Force’s ICBM programs, from our nation’s earliest missile systems to today’s sustainment work, much of which is performed here in Utah,” Warden added.
Northrop Grumman holds a large presence in Utah as a security and defense company, with more than 5,100 employees across the state primarily located in Bacchus, Clearfield, Ogden, Promontory and Salt Lake.
And according to Warden, the new facility will serve as a home to a diverse and talented workforce developing the next-generation capability that will advance the strategic deterrence mission for the nation.
“Northrop Grumman has long played a vital role in providing one of our country’s most important deterrent programs, and in contributing to a thriving economy and a significant source of jobs in Northern Utah,” Lee said. “This new GBSD office will not only further benefit the state of Utah, but will strengthen the security of our nation as a whole.”
In fact, the company was one of two contractors awarded a Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction contract for the new GBSD weapon system program in 2017. It’s currently awaiting final award announcements from the Air Force for its request for proposals for the next phase of the program in the third quarter of 2020.