The Pentagon is located in Arlington VA. Do you have any idea how many billions of dollars Boeing gets in DoD contacts each year? Not just equipment...billions in services contacts alone.
In my 25+ years working for the “military industrial complex” several major defense contractors have moved to the DC area (DC proper, VA and MD); General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, SAIC, Orbital.....and now Boeing. Willie Sutton was right —you go to where the money is and all the decisions are in DC.
And there have been countless mergers and buyouts of smaller tech firms to create financial powerhouses.
I’m retired now, but I still miss the underlying nervous energy of the DC area.....
Boeing To Move Headquarters to Northern Virginia
Shift to company’s Arlington campus puts leaders closer to country’s decision makers.
https://www.flyingmag.com/boeing-moving-headquarters-to-northern-virginia/