Buckley Space Force Base may have taken a small financial haircut, but it is still a heavyweight in Aurora’s economic ring. Base officials told local leaders at a recent State of the Base address that the installation generated roughly $2.4 billion in area economic activity in 2025. That is about $200 million less than the base reported the year before, yet commanders said big infrastructure and training projects are set to keep Buckley’s local footprint steady. Upgrades to power, computing and readiness were framed as long-game investments meant to preserve jobs and contracts across the Front Range.
The event doubled as the 25th annual State of the Base gathering, where roughly 150 civic, business and military guests heard leaders walk through the installation’s priorities, according to Buckley Space Force Base. Col. Eamon Murray told the crowd that “In 2025, Buckley contributed over $2.4 billion to the local economy,” language that appears in the base’s own news release. Officials also highlighted partnerships with local agencies and mission partners as key to keeping that economic engine humming.
Power, Data and Construction Projects Keep the Cash Moving
Infrastructure was front and center in the briefing. Sentinel Colorado reported that Xcel Energy has been contracted to build a new electrical substation, a National Reconnaissance Office facilitated deal that the outlet says will deliver roughly 100 megawatts of capacity under a 20-year plan. The same reporting noted that the base is pushing ahead on a 2-megawatt generator upgrade, described as about 80 percent complete, and has broken ground on an artificial intelligence data center that will add capacity to the Aerospace Data Facility Colorado.
Readiness Drills Put Buckley’s Training on Display
The construction push is running alongside a busy training calendar. Buckley’s own account says “Panther View” combat readiness exercises were staged at the installation and at geographically separated units such as Cape Cod Space Force Station, testing the base’s ability to detect, respond to and defeat evolving threats with partners that included the Aurora Police Department and the FBI’s Denver Field Office, according to Buckley Space Force Base. “The nature of modern warfare has blurred the line between ‘overseas’ conflicts and the security of the American homeland,” Col. Eamon Murray told attendees.
Jobs, Headcount and the Local Ripple
Officials pointed to Buckley’s workforce as a big part of why the base packs such an economic punch. Sentinel Colorado reported that more than 13,000 personnel are tied to the installation, including roughly 3,000 active duty members, 4,000 National Guard reservists and thousands of civilians and contractors. Their paychecks ripple out through spending on housing, retail and local services. The 2025 $2.4 billion tally represents about a $200 million decline from the roughly $2.6 billion impact reported for 2024, according to Colorado Politics, a reminder that construction cycles and mission work can nudge the totals up or down in any given year.
Local Leaders Double Down and Watch the Next Moves
Local voices at the event framed Buckley as a pillar of Aurora’s economy and community life, while nudging businesses to tighten their ties with the base. Rob Devall, director for the Chamber’s Buckley program, urged local firms to lean into that relationship and to spotlight military families during April’s Month of the Military Child, according to the Aurora Chamber of Commerce. The big items to watch now are the build timeline for the new substation and key milestones in the Aerospace Data Facility recapitalization, which will help determine how much of Buckley’s purchasing shows up in the local economy this year.
