Last month Grand Rapids area corporations were awarded $22,489,579 in military contracts according to research compiled as part of Media Mouse’s ongoing work tracking military contracts. This number is dramatically higher than the $813,663 awarded in June or the $149,000 awarded in May. The contracts awarded in May:

• $20,763,841 awarded to Wolverine Worldwide for the manufacture of infantry boots for the Army and Air Force.
• $196,315 awarded to Smiths Aerospace for the repair and/or modification of digital computers for the Navy.
• $1,329,275 awarded to Smiths Aerospace for work related to the modernization and refinement of the K-10, an aircraft primarily used for aerial fueling.
• $200,148 awarded to Smiths Aerospace for a programmable cartridge for the KC-135, an aircraft used for fueling long-range bombers.

The $20.7 million dollar contract awarded to Wolverine Worldwide is the company’s second highest paying contract since the start of the “War on Terror.” The contracts awarded last month to Smiths Aerospace were smaller than many of its previous contracts and are consistent with its routine work in providing components for military aircraft used in the “War on Terror.” In light of Israel's recent targeting of civilians in Lebanon, it is also worth noting that Smiths has manufactured weapons components used by the Israeli military. While companies identified as “war profiteers” are occasional targets of antiwar protests nationally—and will be again on August 6 with protests around the country targeting Bechtel—there has still been no action against local companies despite their continued work in supporting weapons systems needed for the “war on terror.”