With an M1A2 Abrams tank parked on either side of her, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took the outdoor stage at the General Dynamics Land Systems offices in Sterling Heights to tout Michigan's innovation and the state’s decades-long contributions to national defense.
Wednesday’s celebration was a feel-good moment for many of the company’s 2,000 employees who gathered for it and a moment for Michigan politicians — which also included the Macomb County executive and staff representing various members of Congress — to wrap themselves in the American flag.
"We have an old saying, 'If it’s on four wheels, there’s no better place to innovate and build than in Michigan,'" Whitmer said, but then stopped mid-sentence as if she realized that tanks next to her are
on treads and gestured to one, adding, "This is not four wheels. So how would you describe this?"
"A tracked vehicle," Dave Paddock, the president of the defense contractor, replied.
And without skipping a beat, the governor continued, pointing out that the "tracked vehicle" was something the state also had a hand in making, and praised the company for expanding its offices and its recent "multi-year, multimillion-dollar headquarters modernization."
More than a ceremonial ribbon cutting, however, the event also illustrated how debates about the war with Iran and defense spending, which played out in Michigan's Democratic primary race for the Senate, are creating divisions in both parties; and how some politicians – like the governor, a moderate Democrat – are both criticizing an unpopular war and pushing for more defense-related projects in the state.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll in late July found that only 33% of all Americans said they approve of the war on Iran, which at the time was the lowest percentage recorded since the conflict began in late February. Among Democrats, only 5% approved of the conflict.
A new Abrams tank
The General Dynamics celebration was the latest defense-related event Whitmer has attended.
While the White House’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget could benefit Michigan manufacturing, enhance national security and create jobs, it also has the potential to add to the national debt, drive up interest rates and inflation and take away spending on domestic and social programs.
On Wednesday, the Treasury Department said the total U.S. debt topped $40 trillion for the first time.
Aside from the war, General Dynamics — which, in addition to the tanks, showcased other combat vehicles on Wednesday — is expected to build a new, lighter tank, the M1E3 Abrams, which is made out of titanium and has a more fuel-efficient hybrid diesel-electric engine, instead of a gas turbine engine.
The M1E3 will feature more drone countermeasures, defenses to protect it from attacks from directly above, more computer technology and allow more soldiers to be protected inside it than the previous version, said Geoffrey Norman, General Dynamics' director of strategy and growth.
The new Abrams also is getting a high-tech transmission built by SAPA Transmission in Shelby Township. SAPA, whose president, Darren Werner, announced last month is expanding operations in Shelby Township by building a $163 million, 200,000-square-foot, two-story facility, and aims to add more than 300 jobs.
At Wednesday's event, Col. Lee Bruner III, the program manager for the Abrams tank system at the Detroit Arsenal, praised the long-time contractor, which has long been a partner with the Army. He referred to the Abrams, which was named after Gen. Creighton Abrams, as the "most lethal battle tank on the planet."
'Best way to ensure peace'
Earlier this month, Whitmer joined Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll to celebrate another defense-related announcement: that Camp Grayling, mostly in Crawford County in Northern Michigan, has been selected to be a test range for drones.
Drones have been used by Iran in the Mideast, as well as Ukraine and Russia in Europe.
The move to turn the camp into an aerial drone proving ground, the governor said, has the potential to "grow our economy, create good-paying jobs and build on Michigan’s legacy of defense leadership," and urged Michiganders to "keep working together" to "pioneer the future of defense."
And last year, before the United States launched a war against Iran, Whitmer and President Donald Trump announced a new fighter jet mission at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township. She even shared a hug with Trump, which one news outlet suggested at the time could risk a backlash from Democrats.
On Wednesday, Whitmer pointed out that General Dynamics was one of the largest private defense companies in Michigan and would help the state lead the way in defense manufacturing, which, she said, makes sense for the state’s economy.
After her remarks, the governor sidestepped a Free Press question about federal defense spending, although a staffer had pointed out earlier in the day that the Middle East war isn’t the only reason why America needs military equipment.
And Whitmer took the opportunity to aim for Trump’s decision to launch air strikes on Iran, saying that the Trump administration "never really made the case or had a strong plan for what happens after the war. ... We’re all paying the price for that lack of planning and lack of foresight."
One consequence, she said, has been something every Michigander experiences when filling up for gas: higher fuel prices. Still, she added, pivoting back to support for defense-related projects: "The best way to ensure peace is to be prepared, and that’s what today is all about."
Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Whitmer balances support for defense contracts while questioning war
