Intern Andrew Romanowski wrote this report on the top 20 military contractors in Massachusetts on March 23, 2013.
Download the full report on Military Industrial Contractors in Massachusetts.
The top 20 contractors profiled are:
Raytheon
General Dynamics
General Electric
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
American Science and Engineering Inc.
Draper Labs
The Analytic Science Corporation (TASC)
Textron Systems
Perini
BAE Systems Inc.
Quantech Services Inc.
Dynamics Research Corp.
Oasis Systems
Odyssey Systems
FLIR Systems
iRobot Corp
Infoscitex Corp
Niche. Ariel Inc.
Charles River Analytics Inc.
Aptima Inc.
Abstract
Massachusetts has a unique relationship to the Military-Industrial Complex, as a progressive state that receives important revenue from the defense industry, as a state with a highly educated and specialized workforce able to provides cutting-edge analysis, and as the largest recipient of military funding in New England. According to the Donahue Institute a conservative academic research center with substantial connections to the military, Massachusetts’s venders and companies were awarded more than $13. 7 billion from the department of Defense (DoD), and the department of Homeland security, an 83 percent increase since 2003. The DoD and Department of Homeland Security is responsible for more than 130,000 approximately 4.1 percent of employment in the state. Overall direct and indirect economic activity associated with the military and defense industry in broader New England is estimated to be greater than $25.5 billion. In Massachusetts, 3.8 percent of annual GDP is estimated by the Donahue Institute to be derived from military spending and contracts. The great majority of this spending is concentrated in communications; radio, detection and other forms of engineering related work intended to give the military strategic advantages. This particular sector of employment and development has grown 130 percent since 2003. Massachusetts was 6th and 9th in the country in 2011, for prime defense contracts and contracts per capita. Massachusetts has at least five military bases and direct facilities located in state: Westfield, Harvard Lancaster, Bedford, Westover, Lexington and Lincoln.
This report profiles 20 major contractors mentioned in the Business press, for the large amounts of revenue and volume of contracts they have acquired in fiscal year 2012. The contracts provided a diverse array of services for the military and DoD, however there are many important commonalities. The majority of the contractors are engaging in complex, software, computer science, and other specialized technological research, much of which is affiliated with academia. Almost every contractor profiled is doing robotics research, including research on autonomous drones and naval craft. In fact, the only companies profiled, which are not providing complex technological research relevant to the development of robotics technology, are minor financial companies and a parachute manufacturer. Several of the most original robotics contractors such as iRobot, Charles River Analytics, Draper Labs, and Lincoln Labs are located in Massachusetts. Boston Dynamics, another cutting edge robotics company, not profiled in this report is also located in Massachusetts. Massachusetts would therefore, seem to be at the forefront of much of the work done in this area. Such, of this research seems to trace back to MIT and its unique role in advanced military research. iRobot for instance, is one of the most revolutionary robotics companies profiled, and the only company to explicitly catalog and advertised infantry and naval robots for military use, was originally founded by scientists from MIT. MIT provides the largest number of facilities for Charles River Analytics, including its facility of Lincoln Lab. Draper Labs was also originally, directly associated with MIT and continues to profit from its connections with the university.
