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Hampton Roads Alliance urges Portsmouth to 'lean in' on defense, energy and site readiness
Summary
Doug Smith of the Hampton Roads Alliance described regional economic strategy — centered on defense, maritime and energy — and urged Portsmouth to participate in a regional investment playbook and site‑readiness efforts tied to AUKUS and shipbuilding supply chains.
Doug Smith, chief executive with the Hampton Roads Alliance, told the Portsmouth City Council on April 22 that the region faces a “moment” of opportunity driven by remilitarization, energy security and maritime logistics.
Smith said the Alliance is focusing on defense, maritime and energy sectors and is working with Newport News Shipbuilding and other regional partners on workforce, supply chain and technology initiatives tied to programs including AUKUS (a trilateral security partnership among Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States). “We are remilitarizing,” Smith said, and the local market is the “fifth largest DOD spend in the country” by region and the largest per capita.
The Alliance is finishing a regional investment playbook — drafted with urban economist Bruce Katz and based on interviews with about 70 stakeholders — that Smith said will identify six to eight priority projects. The playbook will be released in late June, with a larger regional summit planned for the fall to stand up committees for each project and to recruit public and private chairs and next‑gen co‑chairs.
Smith emphasized site readiness and energy as two constraints for landing large projects. He said the Alliance hired KPMG to analyze developable sites and will push the EVRIFAA (economic development revenue‑sharing framework) and other entities to prioritize pre‑paring “development‑ready” sites so projects can open quickly when they arrive. He also described a regional energy roadmap and steering committee focused on ensuring reliable power for manufacturing and defense firms.
Council members asked how smaller Portsmouth firms and developers can participate; Smith said the Alliance runs roundtables and networking events, and that membership levels allow smaller firms to engage without a promise of direct contracts. Councilwoman Thomas and Vice Mayor Moody discussed potential roles for the city and for Portsmouth Economic Development staff in project identification and EVRIFAA conversations.
Smith also suggested the region should better market assets — including Fort Eustis, the Port of Virginia facilities and proximity to Newport News Shipbuilding — and that Portsmouth’s waterfront and Portsmouth Marine Terminal could be repositioned for future maritime and logistics uses. He said the Alliance’s regional strategy includes workforce development (engineering and other STEM fields), dual‑use technologies that serve both military and civilian markets, and efforts to knit the region’s assets into a single economic story.
Mayor Glover and other council members thanked Smith and indicated they expect to continue working with the Alliance as the playbook moves toward rollout.
