Top defense contractor announces major move weeks after Dem governor takes office: 'Win for the heartland'
After nearly a decade in Virginia, Boeing announced on Wednesday that it is moving its Defense, Space & Security headquarters out of the state back to St. Louis. This comes just weeks after new Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger took office, replacing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
In a Wednesday statement, Boeing said that its decision to move its defense headquarters to St. Louis emphasizes company leadership’s "commitment to being present and engaged with teammates who are designing, producing and delivering vital defense and space products and capabilities for customers in the U.S. and around the world."
The company said that it is progressing on a multi-billion-dollar investment in "the world’s most advanced combat aircraft production facilities," including in St. Louis.
The change moves the defense headquarters from Arlington, Virginia, back to its former site in St. Louis, where much of the company’s products are designed and manufactured. Boeing’s headquarters was in Arlington, a suburb of Washington, D.C., for nearly a decade, with the company moving in 2017.
Boeing cited leadership proximity to its workers, saying that "by aligning leadership with the workforce and investing in state-of-the-art facilities, Boeing is poised to strengthen its core business and drive innovation in defense solutions for the U.S. military and global allies."
Steve Parker, Boeing Defense, Space & Security CEO, said that "the headquarters move, coupled with our senior leaders being based at and spending their time at major engineering, production and manufacturing centers across the U.S., reflects our continued focus on disciplined performance across our business."
"It’s important for leaders to be side-by-side with our teammates, listening to their feedback and acting to remove obstacles as we continue to stabilize and strengthen our business," added Parker.
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Missouri Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe hailed the move as a major "win for the heartland."
"Missouri is the best place in the nation for aerospace and defense manufacturing, and having the Boeing Defense headquarters back where it belongs is a win for our workers and a win for the heartland," said Kehoe, adding, "We are proud to see this leadership return to the production floor where the real work of defending our nation happens every day."
The departure comes just over a month after Spanberger took office as Virginia's governor. Though she campaigned as a pragmatic centrist, critics have said her day-one actions depict a very different approach.
In a flurry of executive orders after her inauguration, the Democrat rescinded ex-Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s 287(g) order that instituted cooperation with ICE, reprioritized diversity, equity and inclusion and seized on broad affordability initiatives, including housing regulation reviews that align with progressive approaches to zoning.
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Former House colleague Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, has criticized Spanberger’s leadership, telling Fox News Digital that "less than a month in office as governor of Virginia, Abigail Spanberger has shown a commitment to turning the commonwealth into California."
While Boeing's Defense, Space & Security headquarters is moving back to St. Louis, Boeing's global headquarters appears to be staying in Arlington, Va after it moved in May 2022, months after Youngkin became governor in Virginia.
Spanberger’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s after-hours request for comment.