By 
December 13, 2024
Redstone Arsenal is busier than ever, and the Army post known as a Federal Center of Excellence is poised for more growth.
At the annual Redstone Update at the Von Braun Center, a series of presentations from Arsenal tenants, Garrison Commander Col. Erin Eike and Deputy Commander Martin Traylor provided an outlook on Arsenal logistics. Other presentations came from tenants such as Army Materiel Command, NASA, Space & Missile Defense Command and the FBI.
Mayor Tommy Battle, center, and Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce CEO Chip Cherry, left, talk with Maj. Gen. Gavin Lawrence of Army Material Command.
A panel of experts on artificial intelligence yielded a robust discussion about the future of the burgeoning technology in Huntsville.
“Redstone Arsenal is an invaluable partner in our community,” said Mayor Tommy Battle, who was among those in attendance. “It’s enlightening and exciting to see how the Arsenal’s missions are prospering. And to know the Huntsville and north Alabama workforce, as well as commuters from southern Tennessee, are applying their talents to drive this ingenuity is a point of pride for everyone.”
Impact and infrastructure
Redstone Arsenal has an annual economic impact in Alabama of $36.2 billion with an employment impact of 143,156 total jobs across the Tennessee Valley. The Arsenal accounts for 58% of the gross regional product for the Valley. There are more than 92,000 Department of Defense military, government and contractor jobs in the region.
The Arsenal has a workforce of about 45,500 people, which exceeds workforce numbers prior to the COVID pandemic in 2020, and Arsenal officials expected that number to continue climbing toward 50,000 employees.
While that has led to increased traffic at Arsenal gates, Traylor noted the partnership with the City on plans for Resolute Way, a planned connector from Interstate 565 to the Arsenal that will ease congestion at the main entrance Gate 9 at the south end of Research Park Boulevard. Construction on Resolute Way is planned to begin in 2026.
Col. Eike and Traylor also touted the recreational amenities on the Arsenal available to the public. An application can be filled at the Redstone Visitors Center outside Gate 9.
More growth for FBI
Growth is expected to continue at the FBI’s two campuses on the Arsenal. Assistant FBI Director Johnnie Sharp, the senior FBI officer at Redstone, said the bureau recently surpassed the 2,000-employee mark. Another 400 employees are expected next year and by 2028, the FBI expects to have capacity for up to 5,000 employees at Redstone.
Sharp also said the office complex that makes up the north campus has been named in honor of former U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby.
While the Arsenal has an economic impact on Alabama of more than $32 billion, Marshall Space Flight Center Deputy Director Rae Ann Meyer said NASA has an $8 billion economic impact on Alabama and supports more than 35,000 jobs. Marshall also has partnerships in 34 states.
Jeff Gronberg, co-chair of Mayor Battle’s Artificial Intelligence task force, moderated the panel discussion on AI at Redstone Update. The conversation focused on the need to build adequate infrastructure for AI growth as well as developing ways to prove and trust data from AI.
