The Utah Defense Alliance and the Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs commissioned the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute to assess the economic impacts of Utah’s defense industry. The Gardner Policy Institute analyzed the impacts of current operations of Hill Air Force Base, Dugway Proving Ground, Tooele Army Depot, the Utah National Guard, reserves, recruiting, ROTC and expenditures on behalf of veterans. The Institute also examined Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs grants and contract expenditures that were not associated with one of the aforementioned installations. In addition, the Gardner Policy Institute modeled the long-run economic and demographic impacts on the state and local economies in the event of the closure of Hill Air Force Base, for which there are currently no known plans.
