U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker said Mississippi is showing measurable momentum, citing $500 million in private investments and more than 2,500 new jobs in July, a record 1,196,200 nonfarm jobs and four consecutive years of net interstate migration, in an opinion piece published by the Magnolia Tribune.
Wicker said he visited defense companies on the Gulf Coast and elsewhere that are expanding in the state. He said Saronic Technologies opened an office where workers will test the 180-foot Marauder, an unmanned vessel now undergoing at-sea testing. He also said Aurora has expanded its Mississippi site to eight times its original size and RTX added 17,000 square feet and plans for about 100 jobs.
Wicker said workers at the expanded Aurora facility will build parts for an uncrewed aerial refueling vehicle and that RTX will use its expansion to develop next-generation electronic warfare tools. He called Mississippi a growing center for defense modernization and said, as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, he will work to ensure military officials recognize the state’s contributions.
Wicker also highlighted work on rural health care in Senatobia. He said leaders of Highland Hills Medical Center reopened a hospital in 2021, added a primary care clinic that is already at capacity and recently broke ground on a new facility made possible through local, state and federal collaboration.
Wicker said he has spoken to civic groups and recently met with high school students in Senatobia to discuss national and local events, including the nation’s 250th anniversary and recent conflicts. He said the students were thoughtful and informed and that they will help sustain the state’s positive trends.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
