February 25, 2022

The Dayton Development Coalition released Wright-Patt 2030 today, outlining the region’s strategic efforts to grow and retain missions at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, encourage community partnerships and grow industries that support Wright-Patt’s mission.

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is the engine of the region’s economy and is Ohio’s largest single-site employer, generating more than 80,000 jobs and $16 billion in economic activity. Throughout the last century, Dayton’s rich history of innovation has highlighted the region as a proving ground for cutting-edge aerospace and defense technology.  The base uniquely houses 11 “center of gravity” mission sets, with the majority supporting Department of the Air Force enterprise-level initiatives. 

“Dayton’s future economic viability is inextricably linked to the success of the military, federal, and defense industry and WPAFB's role as the region’s stabilizing economic force,” said DDC President and CEO Jeff Hoagland. “To secure our economic future, the community must protect Wright-Patt.”

The entire Dayton Region benefits from a community-based strategy focused on protecting Wright-Patt. Targeted efforts will ultimately increase the military value of the installation and position Dayton to retain existing WPAFB operations and gain additional missions.

“While there are no immediate plans for a congressionally mandated Base Realignment & Closure (BRAC) round, the threat of mission movement never goes away,” said Elaine Bryant, the DDC’s Executive Vice President of Aerospace and Defense. “Wright-Patt 2030 takes that a step further to ensure the region’s long-term strategy aligns with national defense priorities to attract new capability and mission sets into the region through demonstrated community partnerships and deliberate community investment.”

The strategy builds on four pillars, advocacy, outreach, partnerships, and industry. 

Advocacy: 

• Formulate and advocate for funding, policy changes, and legislation at the state and federal levels
• Lead Quality-of-Life initiatives for military, government civilians, and their families
• Grow current missions and create the conditions necessary to attract new missions

Outreach:

• Plan and execute evens that connect military to the community and local businesses and recognize the service and commitment of military personnel
• Marketing and Communication Efforts to drive economic development around Wright-Patt, Springfield Air National Guard Base, and Dayton VA

Industry:

• Lead JobsOhio programs to grow and attract private industry
• Assist industry in recruiting and retaining talent

Partnerships:

• Strengthen relationships with Department of Defense leadership 
• Facilitate Wright-Patterson Regional Council of Governments (WPRCOG)
• Assist academic partners in developing a talent pipeline for WPAFB and its regional partners