Boeing returns defense and space HQ to St. Louis

Boeing Inc. announced February 18 that it would relocate its Defense, Space & Security division to St. Louis after spending roughly 10 years in the vicinity of Washington, D.C. In a statement, company leadership said the move would demonstrate its commitment to employee engagement. The move follows a Boeing Defense workers’ strike in Missouri that shut down production for weeks in Fall 2025, as well as the recent election of Democratic Governor of Virginial Abigail Spanberger, who assumed office January 17.

The aviation company’s defense business was located in St. Louis, Missouri from 1997-2017, when it was first relocated to Arlington, Virginia, close to Washington, D.C. After ten more years, it’s on its way back to the St. Louis region, where the company employes about 18,000 in Boeing’s global services, commercial aircraft and enterprise functions as well as military aircraft manufacturing.

What people are saying

“It’s important for leaders to be side-by-side with our teammates, listening to their feedback and acting to remove obstacles as we continue to stabilize and strengthen our business,” said Steve Parker, Boeing Defense, Space & Security CEO. “The headquarters move, coupled with our senior leaders being based at and spending their time at major engineering, production and manufacturing centers across the U.S., reflects our continued focus on disciplined performance across our business.”

"Missouri is the best place in the nation for aerospace and defense manufacturing, and having the Boeing Defense headquarters back where it belongs is a win for our workers and a win for the heartland," Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe wrote on X. "We are proud to see this leadership return to the production floor where the real work of defending our nation happens every day."

Manufacturers investing in Missouri 

Sentio BioSciences invests $10.6M to expand pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Missouri
Sentio’s expansion will increase its domestic manufacturing capacity for generic medicines, including APIs and key starting materials. 

Triad Manufacturing invests $1.78M to expand custom retail display manufacturing facility in Missouri 
The expanded operations will help Triad Manufacturing meet growing demand while adding 32 new jobs in the region. 

Nortian Foodtech invests $22.2M to build protein manufacturing facility in Missouri
The 160,000-square-foot manufacturing facility will transform meat byproducts into high-quality food-grade ingredients.