The late Gov. Terry Sanford once said in 1963: “We missed the Industrial Revolution, and our people have paid for it. We don’t want to miss out on the new revolution in science and technology.” Today, North Carolina has many programs aiming to keep the state at the forefront of innovation. Dan Barkin reports for Business North Carolina magazine.
Getting more military contract dollars for North Carolina has been a major state priority. For 20 years, state agencies and private groups have worked to build up its ability to do that.
The military is important to North Carolina. We have more than 147,000 military and civilian Department of Defense personnel, up 9% in the past dozen years. That is the fourth-largest military footprint among the states.
Fort Bragg is home to 10% of the U.S. Army and sprawls over four counties in the Sandhills. Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville is the largest Marine Corps base on the East Coast. The Marines also have air stations at Cherry Point in Havelock and New River, next to Camp Lejeune.