Defense and Homeland Security

Florida boasts one of the nation's largest defense and homeland security industries.

A Leading Location for Defense Companies

Home to 21 major military installations and three unified combatant commands, Florida has one of the nation’s largest defense and homeland security industries.

Virtually every major defense contractor from the U.S. and abroad has significant operations in Florida. Florida’s defense and homeland security industry is one of the nation’s largest. From defense aviation to biometrics to cybersecurity, Florida’s areas of industry expertise are wide-reaching, and there are few states that can compete with its labor force — ranked fourth in the nation for high-tech employment.

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Defense and Homeland Security Industry Profile

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Featured Image Carrier AquaEdge, Palm Springs

Rankings

#2 Employment of Aerospace Engineering 2022 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

#2 Net Tech Employment Job Gains In The U.S. 2022 CompTIA, Cyberstates Report

High Tech Talent Pool

High Tech Talent Pool

With nearly 1.3 million veterans, 67,000 current active duty military, and large numbers of former military and NASA personnel, Florida offers an impressive pool of workers with the skills and security clearances your business needs. The state’s world-class educational institutions are consistently among the nation’s top producers of STEM graduates.

Infrastructure

A small airplane sitting on the tarmac of an airport runway

Infrastructure

Florida offers the airspace and infrastructure to meet your needs with thousands of square miles of controlled land and over water air space, 300+ days of VFR flight conditions a year and multiple aerospace and defense parks with “through the fence” access. Additionally, defense companies in Florida have access to 100 public-use airports, including 20 commercial airports, and two spaceports to seamlessly operate from Florida.