SPAWAR has $2.6B impact on S.C.

Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, which provides technology solutions to support the U.S. military, also stimulates South Carolina's economy with an estimated $2.6 billion annual impact, a new study shows.

SPAWAR Systems Center Atlantic at the Naval Weapons Station supports one of every 14 jobs, directly or indirectly, in the Charleston area, according to a study conducted by Doug Woodward, an economist at the University of South Carolina's Moore School of Business. The report also found that SPAWAR numbers among the top 10 employers in the state and more than tripled in size over the past nine years.

The figures take into account the so-called "economic ripple," or multiplier effect, a major industry has on an area and a country based on the jobs it provides by association. For example, SPAWAR's visitors support 360 jobs in tourism and hospitality and bring $27 million to the area every year, the study found.

Previously the local outpost of an Atlantic Coast network, the Charleston office absorbed operations from New Orleans and Norfolk, Va., in 2008, thanks to military consolidation. Its work includes developing and delivering shipboard systems and satellite communications links for the U.S. Naval Fleet and providing high-technology capabilities, such as battle-management systems and land, sea and space sensors.

SPAWAR spokesman Lonnie Cowart said the information technology work remains in demand despite economic pressures -- one of the reasons for SPAWAR's success over the years.

"Sometimes folks don't understand the impact until you do a study like this," Cowart said.

The study found that SPAWAR's impact on the national economy exceeds $9 billion a year, based on 2008 data. It supports nearly 86,000 jobs and almost 25,000 in South Carolina alone, according to the study.

The largest employer in the Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties, SPAWAR also accounts for 40 percent of all electronics engineers in the state and more than four of five working in the three-county area, Woodward determined.

SPAWAR initially intended to time the release of the study, completed last year, with additional studies on the former locations, according to Cowart, but released it Tuesday before the Charleston information became dated.

Reach Allyson Bird at 937-5594 or abird@postandcourier.com.