Hawaii Defense Economy
DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM
DEFENSE ECONOMY OF HAWAII
The Department of Defense (DoD) spends billions of dollars in Hawaii each year. As a sector of our State’s economy, military related spending is second only to tourism and contributes to thousands of jobs in our islands. The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) is committed to understanding the importance of DoD spending and its effects upon our economy as well as working with our local businesses in fostering resiliency efforts should DoD spending change.
In conjunction with the DoD’s Office of Economic Adjustment, DBEDT has undertaken an effort to further study military spending in Hawaii and the effects it has on various segments of our economy. In partnership with Bättra LLC, DBEDT is focused on providing accurate information with regards to direct DoD employment, total dollars spent by DoD in Hawaii, the indirect benefits of those dollars spent on various business segments, and the challenges faced by local businesses who work with DoD.
We will be updating the Hawaii Defense Economy website with current data, developing a survey to be sent to businesses with a history of working with DoD, and working with business resource partners to foster resiliency efforts to assist local businesses in the event of decreases in DoD procurement spending. For more information on DBEDT’s efforts, please contact John Greene, Email: john.j.greene@hawaii.gov and Tel: 808-587-2773.