Twin Cities vie for Army innovation headquarters

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Politicians, communities and companies in the Twin Cities are making a united pitch for a new military headquarters.

The Department of Defense’s Army Futures Command will be a research and development headquarters that intends to partner with local talent on the next generation of technology innovations, The Star Tribune reported .

Michael Langley, CEO of Greater MSP, the Minneapolis-St. Paul region’s development partnership, is coordinating the effort to attract the project. He must meet a Thursday deadline to present the department with a detailed case for the area.

“We’re doing this in partnership with all the players - the federal delegation, the state, local communities and industry partners,” Langley said.

Langley hopes the area’s history of technical collaboration, its growing high-tech sector and its robust academic institutions will make it stand out.

Minnesota’s entire federal delegation wrote a letter to an undersecretary of the Army focusing on the state’s Fortune 500 companies. The letter also highlighted government contractors such as 3M, General Dynamics and Honeywell, as well as large science and technology organizations including Boston Scientific, Mayo Clinic and UnitedHealth Group.

The Army will consider the quality and growth potential of local workforces in nine areas, including biomedical engineering, chemical engineering and mechanical engineering. The military will also look at existing industry and academic partnerships as well as government support for private innovation.

The Army is deciding between 15 finalist areas for the headquarters, including Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Seattle and New York City.

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Information from: Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com