“…Furthermore, military spending is unique in that political incumbents can usually rally widespread public support for ever‐increasing military arsenals and equipment (Reich, 1972). A plethora of studies have examined the link between military spending and the economy (e.g., Lieberson, 1971; Szymanski, 1973; Griffin, Devine, and Wallace, 1982; Russett, 1982; Henderson, 1998; Wallace, Borch, and Gauchat, 2008; Borch and Wallace, 2010). However, a question that is largely unaddressed in this literature is the extent to which military spending has specifically impacted the economic development of U.S. metropolitan areas.…”