For the past few years, North Country officials have been pushing for Fort Drum to become the home of a new missile defense site.

However, a former 10th Mountain Division commander — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin – recently came out against it.

“Fort Drum is our largest employer. It's the largest single-site employer in New York state,” Watertown Mayor Sarah Compo Pierce said.

“Fort Drum, unlike other military bases, doesn't have a school, doesn't have a hospital. So, what does that mean for us? That means that a lot of those families are using services like our schools, our health care system. If you don't have Fort Drum, you don't have that economic growth. You don't have the support for our local businesses.”

It’s a relationship that works both ways.

“To have the ability to focus because our families are cared for and in good with good neighbors and good friends ... there's peace of mind there,” former 10th Mountain Division Commanding General Major General Gregory Anderson said.

It's why so many were excited when last year, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Fort Drum as a likely site for an East Coast missile defense system. It would be a $5 billion project that would not only have jobs attached to it, but the economic impact would be massive. And it would, in a way, guarantee Fort Drum’s safety.

“So, anything that buffers this military installation, we are all for,” state Assemblyman Scott Gray said while discussing the cutbacks now happening in the Army.

It's also why some were disappointed when Defense Secretary and former 10th Mountain Division General Lloyd Austin penned a letter opposing it.

“Anytime that there is an opportunity for that growth at Fort Drum, it typically will positively impact the surrounding communities,” Compo Pierce added.

In that letter, Austin cited the $5 billion pricetag as one major issue, as well as the fact the Department of Defense is developing a next-generation interceptor for 2028 that could protect all 50 states and could also replace older ones in California and Alaska.

“At the end of the day, our military leaders know best. That said, perhaps there's a chance [with a different administration] to change minds and continue to make the case why Fort Drum is the perfect place for a missile defense,” Compo Pierce said.