Kennedy Highlights $72.2 Million for Barksdale, Shreveport-Bossier as B-52 Modernization Accelerates

SHREVEPORT, La. — Sen. John Kennedy is pointing to $72.2 million in Fiscal Year 2026 federal funding for the Shreveport-Bossier area as Barksdale Air Force Base prepares for a long-term modernization of the B-52 bomber fleet.

Kennedy addressed Shreveport-Bossier business leaders October 29, focusing on Barksdale, energy, infrastructure and the region’s economy.

Of the $72.2 million Kennedy highlighted, $26.2 million is designated for two new B-52 flight simulators intended to improve pilot training at Barksdale. Another $18 million is directed toward B-52 technology upgrades involving cockpits, logistics and weapons systems.

An additional $18 million supports innovation and technology modernization for Air Force Global Strike Command, which is headquartered at Barksdale. The remaining $10 million is for renovation of Centenary College’s Mickle Hall to house a new School of Health Sciences and strengthen the region’s health-care workforce.

The Barksdale funding comes as the Air Force undertakes an approximately $20 billion modernization of the B-52 fleet. The program is expected to include new engines, radar, avionics and other systems designed to keep the aircraft operational into the 2050s.

That makes the modernization program more than a defense story for northwest Louisiana. Barksdale is one of the region’s largest economic anchors, supporting military personnel, civilian employees, contractors and businesses throughout the Shreveport-Bossier economy.

The base is also home to Air Force Global Strike Command, giving northwest Louisiana an outsized role in the nation’s strategic bomber and nuclear-deterrence mission.

Modernizing an aircraft that first entered service in the 1950s is a massive engineering undertaking. The Air Force plans to re-engine the bomber fleet and upgrade radar and mission systems while maintaining enough aircraft for ongoing operations and training.

For Barksdale, that creates a long-term infrastructure and workforce issue. New aircraft systems require updated training equipment, maintenance capabilities and technical expertise. The two flight simulators included in the FY2026 funding are one piece of that transition.

The Centenary College investment addresses a different workforce need. The $10 million Mickle Hall renovation is intended to support a new School of Health Sciences, adding a civilian workforce-development component to the federal funding Kennedy discussed.

Kennedy, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, framed the investments as part of an effort to strengthen both Barksdale’s national-security mission and the broader regional economy.

Federal appropriations do not by themselves guarantee every anticipated economic benefit. The long-term impact will depend on how the projects are executed, how much related contracting occurs locally and how Barksdale’s modernization unfolds over the coming decades.

But the scale of the B-52 program gives Shreveport-Bossier something many economic-development projects cannot offer: a mission expected to remain relevant for decades. If the Air Force keeps the bomber in service into the 2050s as planned, Barksdale’s role in that modernization could shape northwest Louisiana’s economy for a generation.

Sources

Sen. John Kennedy — Shreveport-Bossier, B-52 modernization and FY2026 investments, Oct. 29, 2026

Frymaster Adds 300,000 Square Feet in Shreveport as Louisiana Manufacturer Plans Next Generation of Production

A Louisiana manufacturer with more than 90 years of history in Shreveport is making another investment in the state, adding major production capacity while retaining more than 500 existing jobs.

Frymaster LLC plans to invest $11.5 million to expand its Caddo Parish operations with a new 300,000-square-foot facility. Louisiana Economic Development says the project is expected to create 47 direct jobs while retaining 511 current positions. LED estimates another 66 indirect jobs could result, for a total of 113 potential new job opportunities in northwest Louisiana.

More Room for Production and Product Development

Frymaster manufactures commercial cooking equipment used by restaurants and foodservice operations. The expansion is intended to provide additional space for manufacturing, product development and future growth. Initial manufacturing operations are expected to begin in late 2026.

A Different Kind of Louisiana Manufacturing Story

The project is far smaller than the multibillion-dollar data centers and heavy-industrial investments that have dominated Louisiana economic-development news this year. But it highlights another part of the state's manufacturing base: established companies that continue investing after decades in Louisiana.

Retaining 511 existing jobs is particularly important. Economic development is not only about recruiting a new employer; it also involves keeping established operations competitive enough to remain and expand.

Why Expansion of Existing Plants Matters

Large industrial announcements can create thousands of construction jobs, but existing manufacturers provide another kind of economic stability. Their workforces, suppliers and operating relationships are already embedded in local communities.

The $11.5 million Frymaster expansion will not reshape Louisiana's economy by itself. But retaining more than 500 jobs while adding new production space is the kind of incremental industrial growth that can be easy to overlook when billion-dollar projects dominate the headlines.

Source Notes

Louisiana Economic Development, Sept. 15, 2026: https://www.opportunitylouisiana.gov/news/shreveport-built-frymaster-invests-in-its-next-generation-of-manufacturing

STONECIPHER: Shreveport Population Drops Below 1990 Census Count

May 19, 2016

The U. S. Census Bureau Population Estimates data for American cities shows Shreveport falling below its 1990 population total.  Between July 1, 2014 and July 1, 2015, Shreveport lost another -1,114 residents, dropping its total population to 197,204.  The third-largest city in Louisiana, Shreveport's population total in the 1990 decennial Census was +1,321 residents larger, at 198,525.  (SEE data here.)

In this most recent year of official Estimates data from the Census Bureau, Louisiana's recession deepened in some areas, but had not yet done so in others.  Lake Charles led in percentage population gain, up +1.76%, followed by New Orleans (+1.37), Bossier City (+1.35%), Lafayette (+0.96%), and Monroe (+0.11%).  Population losses in that most recent annual count hit Baton Rouge (-0.18%), Alexandria (-0.54%) and Shreveport (-0.56%).

Since the 2010 decennial Census, Baton Rouge (-0.39%) and Shreveport (-1.06%) lost population.  New Orleans, continuing to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, grew its population the most among top Louisiana cities, up +13.32%.  Also showing gains were Bossier City (+11.06%), Lafayette (+5.83%), Lake Charles (+5.66%), Monroe (+1.60%), and Alexandria (+0.35%).

Louisiana's population increased by +3.0% between the 2010 Census and July 1, 2015, below the national gain of +4.1%.  That gain of +137,425 Louisianans was the result of +107,922 from "natural increase," or births-minus-deaths, and +28,906 from net migration*.  While Louisiana, during the period, lost -10,567 residents who moved away to other states, it gained +39,473 international in-migrants.  That population subgroup is disproportionately traceable to undocumented workers, it is broadly accepted.  Later U. S. Census Bureau results from its American Community Survey data will be studied for confirmation / refutation of that assertion.

July 1, 2015 Total Population

New Orleans   389,617
Baton Rouge   228,590
Shreveport    197,204
Lafayette     127,657
Lake Charles   76,070
Bossier City   68,094   
Monroe         49,598
Alexandria     47,889  

July 1, 2014 to July 1, 2015 Population Change

Lake Charles    + 1,318    +1.76%
New Orleans     + 5,257    +1.37%
Bossier City    +   905    +1.35%    
Lafayette       + 1,212    +0.96%
Monroe          +    53    +0.11%           
Baton Rouge     -   417    -0.18%    
Alexandria      -   258    -0.54%
Shreveport      - 1,114  -0.56%  

2010 Census to July 1, 2015 Population Change

New Orleans     +45,788    +13.32%
Bossier City    + 6,799    +11.06%    
Lafayette       + 7,034    + 5.83%
Lake Charles    + 4,077    + 5.66%
Monroe          +   783    + 1.60%           
Alexandria      +   166    + 0.35%
Baton Rouge     -   903    - 0.39%    
Shreveport      - 2,107  - 1.06% 

*Total population change as reported by the U. S. Census Bureau includes a residual that cannot be attributed to any specific demographic component.

Elliott Stonecipher

(Elliott Stonecipher does this work pro bono ... no compensation of any kind is solicited or accepted.  He has no client or other relationships which in any way influence his selections of subjects or the content of any article.  Appropriate credit to Mr. Stonecipher in the sharing - unedited only, of course - is expected.  The use of his work without such credit to him is unethical and will not be quietly accepted.)
 

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