This week, Bentonville hosted several hundred military contractors and adjacent companies for the 2026 Mid-America Aerospace and Defense Summit. The networking event is hosted by the Arkansas Aerospace and Defense Alliance, along with lead sponsor arms manufacturer L3Harris, which operates a 2,000-acre campus in South Arkansas.
Chad Causey is the director of the Aerospace and Defense Alliance. He says this summit is important in supporting a growing economic sector.
“The industry, both in the U.S. and globally, is starting to recognize that Arkansas is a location, low cost of doing business, relatively low cost of electricity and input costs on production, a really stellar workforce. And I think when you look at Northwest Arkansas and what's been the growth here, I think the University of Arkansas is a big catalyst, producing a lot of really talented engineers that are coming out of the university.”
A group of demonstrators amassed outside of the Ledger in Bentonville to protest the summit. Michael Mayne is a recent University of Arkansas graduate and an organizer for Friends of Palestine NWA. He says opposition to weapons manufacturing is growing among residents.
“You think of this as being a very national, a very federal issue, considering that it's concerning the military. But to then see so many companies in Camden, in Pine Bluff, or even setting up camp in Northwest Arkansas, it really does shock a lot of people to find out just how close to home all of this manufacturing is.”
Arkansas' top export by revenue is aerospace and defense products, generating more than $950 million in 2024. That's according to the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.
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