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Anduril plans 5 million sq. ft. Arsenal 1 campus in Central Ohio, aims for 4,000 employees
Summary
Defense contractor Anduril told a Columbus Metropolitan Club forum that its Arsenal 1 project will eventually occupy about 5 million square feet and hire roughly 4,000 workers over the next decade, and company leaders said they are coordinating with state and local partners on infrastructure and workforce needs.
Connor Brogan, Arsenal 1 project leader with defense firm Anduril, told a Columbus Metropolitan Club forum that Arsenal 1 will be a multi-year build-out of roughly 5,000,000 square feet and is expected to employ about 4,000 people once fully staffed.
"Before Arsenal 1 we had about a million square feet total globally. We had about 5,000 employees. Arsenal 1 is going to be 4,000 employees, 5,000,000 square feet," Brogan said during the panel. He said Anduril expects initial hires to begin this quarter, ramping from roughly 50–100 early hires to about 300 within a year and then continuing year-over-year growth toward the 4,000 figure.
Brogan and other panelists framed Arsenal 1 as a project that depends on local and state partnerships. Brogan said the company sought a location with direct flights to Los Angeles, a strong labor pool and cooperative local partners. He named Pickaway County and JobsOhio as collaborators and singled out local officials who helped with project diligence and negotiations.
"The growth that we're anticipating here is really going to come from partnership in the community, ODOT, working with Pickaway County, working with JobsOhio crew," Brogan said.
Panelists said Anduril will begin hiring immediately and will require a broad set of infrastructure investments, including new or improved road intersections near project sites. Pamela Bridal, introduced in the forum as director of the Ohio Department of Transportation, said ODOT plans a study of an intersection at U.S. 23 and County Road 752 because of growth tied to the Arsenal project.
Brogan described Anduril’s recruiting strategy as mission-driven, arguing that the company attracts engineers and product teams by offering work on national-security technology and by investing in internal training. "We want the best and brightest, but we also want to train people up and we want to give them a home that they're proud of to work at," he said.
Panelists emphasized the need for ongoing community engagement and transparency as Anduril expands. Brogan said the company would share its plans and be candid about roadblocks so that public and private partners could respond. He also highlighted the scale of the project as requiring sustained workforce and transport planning for surrounding communities.
The panel did not provide a final campus timeline or a detailed breakdown of capital investments beyond the square-footage and hiring projections Brogan gave. Brogan and other panelists said additional infrastructure and funding work will be undertaken with state and local agencies as the project advances.
Ending: Brogan and other panelists described Arsenal 1 as the start of a decade-long local transformation that will depend heavily on state and county coordination, workforce training and infrastructure improvements.
