UMass Donahue Institute

UMDI releases regional defense study to Capitol Hill

The defense industry poured a total of 33.9 billion contract dollars into the New England economy in 2011, yielding 319,000 jobs at more than 5,000 firms and institutions across the region, according to a comprehensive report by the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute. These findings were released Monday at a briefing on Capitol Hill, where UMDI Executive Director Lynn Griesemer and UMDI Economic and Public Policy Research Director Martin Romitti presented at a meeting for New England delegates hosted by Massachusetts Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown.

Commissioned by the Massachusetts High Technology Council’s Defense Technology Initiative and funded by the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc.; MassDevelopment on behalf of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development; and The Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, the report offered a preliminary peek at a more in-depth project, which focuses on the economic impact that defense spending has in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. That follow-up report is due to be released in the fall.