It is no secret that the men and women of Jacksonville have been quietly keeping the country safe for generations. In 1941, the U.S. War Department announced the creation of the Arkansas Ordnance Plant, which produced fuses and detonators during World War II. Then, in 1951, the community rallied together to bring the Little Rock Air Force Base to town.
Another milestone occurred in 2016, when firearms producer SIG SAUER relocated its Elite Performance Ammunition manufacturing operation to an existing building in Jacksonville, bringing 50 jobs to the city. That headcount has since ballooned to about 600.
In 2024, SIG SAUER opened the $225 million Jacksonville Arkansas Ammunition Center on campus. The 210,000-square-foot ultramodern facility supports the U.S. Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon program and family of 6.8 hybrid ammunition.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Ron Cohen, CEO of SIG SAUER, cut the ribbon at the Jacksonville Arkansas Ammunition Center.
“Our Jacksonville location remains crucial to our global growth and position as the only SIG facility today that produces our ammunition,” said Jason Imhoff, chief technology officer and vice president of ammunition, development and R&D. “The six-facility campus provides ammo for all branches of the U.S. military, special forces and our NATO allies. It’s a key facility for SIG’s product design, research and development, and testing, and it’s important to our growth strategy.”
He added that a turning point for the Arkansas operations came six years ago, when the team won an MK-248 sniper ammo contract to supply the U.S. Army and Navy.
“That was our first big military ammo contract win and a pivotal moment for our Arkansas team and company,” he said.
Jacksonville Mayor Jeff Elmore said the investment has been a boon for Jacksonville and the surrounding community.
“Hosting a manufacturing powerhouse such as SIG SAUER has brought immense pride to Jacksonville and the central Arkansas region over the past decade,” he said. “As both a resident and mayor, I have seen firsthand the impact that SIG SAUER has had on our community. The industrial impact has been tremendous, and we are thankful and proud of SIG SAUER’s investment in our community, state and nation.”
CEO Ron Cohen spoke during the grand opening of the new facility, saying that a call from then-Gov. Asa Hutchinson asking him to consider choosing Arkansas for the company’s expansion sparked “a romance with the state” that led to the opening of the initial facility.
Maj. Gen. John T. Reim, from left, Sanders, Cohen, Jacksonville Mayor Jeff Elmore and Sen. John Boozman attend the grand opening.
“SIG is in a unique position right here in Arkansas to participate in the Herculean effort of the U.S. Army to change infantry,” he said at the opening. “There can be no more noble cause than what we’re doing here. I could not be more proud. On behalf of SIG, we want to help protect this country and win against our adversaries. Arkansas is the center of that effort for SIG.”
He praised the 3,500 employees working across the U.S., including those in Arkansas.
“We feel that we’re on a mission to change the world. It’s that big,” he said. “I have not met a SIG employee who told me he’s just in a job. This is a calling, and I’m so blessed to be a part of that calling, to aid our men and women at the tip of the spear to have the tools to win.”
The Next Generation Squad Weapon program is on par with a mission to Mars, he said, calling it a “moon-shot effort to change lethality in ammunition and the weapons associated.”
“The teams worked so hard to do this revolution, it’s incredible. You guys will go down in history as the people that changed the world,” he said. “I asked somebody yesterday, ‘When was the last time somebody changed infantry in one time to change ammunition, rifle and machine gun?’ I don’t think people know that answer. Is it 1950? 1930? 1910? Let me help you. The answer is never. Never has there been an effort to change everything at one moment in history.”
Speaking at the grand opening, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the facility represented more than just a manufacturing space and jobs but reinforced Arkansas’ place as the “arsenal of America.”
“I know that Arkansas’ moral clarity has helped play a big role in bringing SIG SAUER to our state,” she said. “Make no mistake — we love and support our military, we support our closest allies, and we understand that the best thing to beat a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”
She was joined by Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), who expressed pride in Arkansas’ role in leading the manufacturing effort for the Next Generation Squad Weapon program.
“With each passing day, Arkansas is standing more and more at the forefront of our nation’s defense industrial base, and this facility only enhances the outsized role our great state is playing in providing more modern capabilities to deter our adversaries and safeguard our national security interests at home and abroad,” he said.
Imhoff said the facility is deeply involved in the local community, working with the Arkansas Army National Guard on range activities, participating in chamber of commerce events and collaborating with nearby colleges to ensure students have the skills needed to enter the defense industry.
Officials tour the state-of-the-art facility, which plays a leading role in national defense and the modernization of infantry warfare.
“Arkansas has a pro-business environment, and we’ve been fortunate to receive support from day one from the Jacksonville community and officials at all levels of government,” he said. “This community has a long history of supporting America’s defense dating all the way back to munitions production in World War II and a workforce with decades of experience. We’re proud to carry on that legacy with SIG’s work to equip the military, law enforcement and the shooting community.”
A representative from SIG SAUER confirmed that continued expansion projects on the Jacksonville campus over the next five years are expected to create a total of 950 jobs, further strengthening the local economy and providing additional opportunities for growth.
“The growth of Jacksonville’s housing market, along with new commercial, industrial and retail opportunities, is attracting SIG SAUER employees and their families to Jacksonville,” Elmore said. “With new homes being built across the city, continued economic development and investment and the modern facilities of the Jacksonville-North Pulaski School District, Jacksonville continues to provide a community where families can live, work, play and thrive.”
Photos courtesy of SIG SAUER
