Michigan seeks homeland security business
Michigan ranks 31st among states receiving homeland security money, with Virginia, California, and the District of Columbia the top three; a coalition of Michigan business people want to bring more security companies to Michigan to move Michigan
A former Michigan politician is proposing a campaign to attract homeland security business in a new move to help his state’s struggling economy.
Saying this was “a great opportunity to expand our leadership,” Leslie Touma says he started the Michigan Security Network this week with a primary goal of bringing more security companies to Michigan and to coach auto suppliers on how to expand into the industry. Michigan has the highest unemployment rate in the nation.
Touma thinks there is opportunity in areas of defense in Michigan, including such endeavors as cyber security, border monitoring and bioterrorism. He says these are sectors the state has the talent base to fill.
Touma has a background in the automotive and defense industries, and once ran for Congress.
UPI quotes a USA Today report about how Michigan ranks 31st among states receiving homeland security money, with Virginia, California, and the District of Columbia the top three. The industry spends about $113 billion globally each year, with $60 billion of that spent in the United States.
Touma says the state has the largest, most active international border with Canada, making it a great place to test new technology. “We have water, we have bridges, and we have tunnels,” he said. “We have everything you need” to test different security systems.
