Another Michigan auto firm enters defense industry as state tries to revive ‘Arsenal of Democracy’
WASHINGTON — JVIS, a commercial automotive component provider, announced the grand opening of its defense branch today, marking another Michigan automotive company’s entry into the defense industrial base as the state attempts to become one of America’s leading hubs for defense manufacturing once again.
“Michigan built the Arsenal of Democracy once, and we intend to build it again. Today is about bringing defense work, and the good-paying jobs that come with it, back to Michigan, where the engineering talent and manufacturing know-how have been all along,” Alan Wagner, managing director of the new JVIS Defense and Aerospace company, said today in a press release.
The company will operate as a “standalone business” separate from the original JVIS and will provide a variety of “advanced defense solutions,” according to the release. Ahead of the announcement, a company spokesperson told Breaking Defense that JVIS Defense and Aerospace had received its first contract — worth $13.2 million — with the Army’s Ground Vehicle Systems Center for its “Silent Watch” auxiliary power unit (APU).
The device converts diesel into electric power to keep military systems running without relying solely on diesel generators, which can create hefty heat signatures and lots of noise — characteristics that make forces easier for adversaries to detect.
The award comes after Army senior leaders told a Detroit audience in August that the service is looking for more exportable power solutions as soldiers currently lack sufficient power to efficiently charge drones, communications systems, command posts and more. The leaders said the solution is not buying more generators, heavier battery packs or even relying exclusively on liquid fuel.
“We have got to change the fact that liquid fuel is still the most power dense, efficient way to move energy across the battlefield. We’ve got to change that,” Alex Miller, the Army’s chief technology officer, said at the time. “Those are the types of things that we need your help, that I truly believe that only this crowd — because you’ve been doing it for literally since World War II — can help us solve those problems. So, please dig into those things.”
The announcement also follows last week’s publication of the Michigan Office of Defense and Aerospace Innovation’s (ODAI) strategic five-year plan to better leverage its automotive and other commercial industries for military projects.
Signed by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the strategy aims to attract military contracts not only for ground vehicles, but also in drones, space manufacturing and other emerging technology areas. The state plans to do so by driving interest from “high impact” companies and projects, increasing and accelerating applied research, expanding defense-ready production capacity and more.
Whitmer wrote in the strategy that it will “evolve each day as we deepen partnerships, attract investment, collaborate with private sector and academic partners, access private capital, secure federal opportunities, and advance major efforts to strengthen Michigan’s role in national defense.”
Both the establishment of JVIS Defense and Aerospace and the release of the ODAI strategy join efforts by other Michigan-based companies to expand into the defense sector over the past several months.
For example, Michigan companies— including Ford, General Motors, Pratt Miller, Roush and startup Salient Motion — have expanded into defense, pursuing new military contracts for ground vehicles and robots. Salient Motion has also looked to develop components for munitions systems, such as the PAC-3 missile.
“Today, our state continues to lead the way in producing the cutting-edge vehicles and technologies that keep our servicemembers safe,” Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan told a crowd today at the JVIS Defense and Aerospace opening. “Investments like this new technology center build on that legacy by driving the development of next-generation defense technologies, creating good-paying Michigan jobs, and strengthening our national security.”