With war brewing abroad, Michigan is looking at bolstering defenses close to home.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill Wednesday that provides $150 million in state money to support upgrades to Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Southeast Michigan. 

Michigan U.S. Senator Gary Peters spoke to WDET about how the bill will strengthen the National Guard Base and his views on the war with Iran, as well as his upcoming retirement after almost two decades in office.

Peters: We’re looking forward to having that signing and you know this is a key element. We needed to have the state make this investment, $150-plus million dollars. But for your listeners, the really important exciting thing about it is that because of the seed money, we’re going to bring in nearly $800 million from the federal government, so we’re going to have the best Air National Guard base in the country. In fact, I had the general part of the Joint Chiefs say on the record that Selfridge will now be the finest Air National Guard base in the entire country, and I said, ‘thank you, that’s right. It will be.’

McNamara: Explain, for people who don’t really follow it, the strategic importance of Selfridge. 

Peters: It is absolutely strategic for national security, our geographic location, for one,  and when we think about INDOPACOM (Indo-Pacific Command), a lot of the ways to get there is over the Arctic, and so having a base in the northern area is why a lot of the strategic bombers back in the day were in Michigan. We had two major air force bases for that, so it continues to be important.

But from a training aspect, we’re going to have the KC-46, which is the next generation tanker, replacing a very old platform out there, now. They’re going to be around for 40, 50, years. We’re going to have the F-15EX, which is the advanced fighter jet that will be working off that platform, and then most people don’t realize, but in Northern Michigan, when you head up into the Grayling area and over in the Alpena area, we have the largest training area for the military east of the Mississippi. So it’s a very large area, we got aircraft coming in from [all] around. We’ll team up with our aircraft from Selfridge and train, it just puts Michigan in a key location. When people think of national security, we’re going to be one of the places people think about in terms of bases in the United States. 

McNamara: How important is the national defense industry to the economy of southeast Michigan?  

Peters: Incredibly important. It’s getting more important and this helps actually drive that, too. So, there’s the economic driver. You have the driver of the fact the base is there, you have a lot of people there… we may even potentially have some active-duty folks that will be coming into that base as well. So, that’s an economic driver, but it’s really about advanced technology. Where are things going?

When people think of national security, we’re going to be one of the places people think about in terms of bases in the United States. 

Everybody knows we’re the place for manufacturing cars, but the aerospace industry is realizing if you know how to make cars, you can make aerospace components as well. In fact, one area that I’ve been spending a lot of time on now is trying to think of another aircraft squadron we can bring there, and those are called collaborative combat aircraft. Those are not crewed, there’s no person in it, but they’re controlled by an operator somewhere else, and actually those KC-46 tankers, they have capability, not just as a gas tank, they also have command and control capabilities. And you could see them commanding a squadron of collaborative aircraft, and then launching those aircraft forward. That’s another mission I think Selfridge could win, and that would definitely put us at the very cutting edge of advanced aerospace research. 

McNamara: We’re talking about this like it’s the future and eventuality. We’re also at war currently with Iran. What are the impacts on that for the average Michigander? 

Peters: Significant from an economic standpoint. We’re seeing it at the gas pump right now, but that inflation is all through because of energy prices that we’re paying higher prices at the stores and groceries because the Strait of Hormuz is closed, and it’s pretty outrageous that that was not secured at the beginning of this war, it tells me it was rushed, that we needed to secure. Everybody has known that, this is not a secret. The Strait of Hormuz is a strategic place.

I served in the Navy. I was in that area. I remember standing on the shores of the United Arab Emirates. You could look across, you could just see a line of tankers going through a very tight area, choke point. The Navy knew how critical it was. They had plans to deal with it, and this is the question I asked. You know, they have plans. You have very detailed plans about how you deal with strategic places like that, but you need to prepare to actually execute that plan before you go to war. That didn’t happen, and in fact, I’ve raised this issue to folks in hearings. 

I’m on the Armed Services Committee. I said, I know you probably had plans. I learned how to do those plans in War College, and yet you had things like mine sweepers, which are essential. Your mine sweepers were in Japan when the war started. If you were prepared, the mine sweepers would have been near the straits, ready to go into action immediately. It takes weeks for them to get over there. That didn’t happen. I’m sure the president was advised by his military advisors that we’re not quite ready to do what you want us to do, and he pulled the trigger, literally pulled the trigger beforehand, and now we’re in a mess. 

McNamara: How do we get out of it? 

Peters: If you look at it from a military perspective, it’s difficult. It’s hard to clear mines unless you have a secure environment. You’re putting navy ships in a very constrained area. It’s a high-risk operation. So, militarily, it’s a lot easier to do that at the outset, the beginning, than trying to come back into it right now. And during this ceasefire, which is really a stalemate, the Iranians have been able to position more of their drone aircraft in the area, they’re going to be leases are public sources, they have more missile capabilities as well, so military, it’s tough, so it’s going to be negotiation, but President Trump put himself with his war of choice in a very difficult situation, and who’s actually paying for it? The American people are. People here in Michigan. We’re paying high prices. Just the war itself has been estimated, just from a military standpoint, so far well over $30 billion, and I think that’s underestimating it. That’s all the taxpayers are paying.

But then look at the impact of the entire global economy, and just our economy here in Michigan. What people are paying, you’ve got a third of the fertilizer goes through the Strait of Hormuz. That’s why food prices are going up dramatically. Farmers are scrambling to try to get fertilizer, and it’s a whole lot more expensive. The ripples through the economy are something that we’re going to be paying for for a long time, and so far, it’s a stalemate.

The nuclear material is still there, even though the president told the country he destroyed everything. Clearly, that wasn’t the case, and that material is still there. And now we have an economic crisis because of the Strait of Hormuz. So that’s where we are. The President created this mess. It’s not going to be easy to get out of it. 

The ripples through the economy are something that we’re going to be paying for for a long time.

McNamara: I mentioned you’ve been in public service for 35 plus years. You’re not yet 70, you’re not running for reelection, are you allowed to do that? 

Peters: Yes, I think so, and it’s a good thing. When I leave here in seven months, it’ll be 18 years in Congress, both in the House and Senate. I believe in what our founders said, that Congress was a place where you would go and serve, and then you go back to your private life, not spend your life in Congress. So, I don’t believe in spending my life in Congress, so I’ll go back to private life. I’m not going to retire, going to still stay very active and be part of public policy, but I don’t need to be in the Senate. I think it’s time to pass the torch to the next generation. 

McNamara: So, this time next year, when it’s time for a motorcycle tour, are you going to have the entourage or is it just going to be you and the road? 

Peters: I am going to have one more entourage this summer, so in August we’re riding. My Harley’s getting ready to go, and we’re going to go to places all around the state, the places that I worked on. But I think… when you ride together, those are long-term friendships. So, I’m sure I’ll still have friends that I can ride with. 

McNamara: What’s your white whale? What’s something that you didn’t get done that you really wanted to during your time in Congress? 

Peters: Well, this has evolved over that time that I’m there, but I think this is the biggest thing that we’ve got to figure out, and that’s how we deal with AI, with what’s happening with artificial intelligence that I’ve been engaged in. 

I’ve engaged in cybersecurity for a long time. I chaired, and now am the ranking member, Homeland Security. So, cybersecurity is a big threat that I’ve been working on for all these years. That threat has just gotten a whole lot bigger with AI. I’m sure many of your listeners know about Mythos, the AI system that Anthropic put out, that could basically attack systems all across the country, make them vulnerable to cyber attack. It is absolutely frightening the power that this technology has. And Mythos is the first, but it’s not the last. And we’re going to see others coming out that we’ve got to stay ahead of, and the whole AI system, we’ve got to be thinking about how do we put guardrails, understand the power of AI to do incredibly wonderful things, but also know that there’s a downside to it, dual use, both from a military perspective and just cultural and economic, it’s going to be incredibly disruptive. How do we work that?

So, I’ve been working through that over the last few years, we got a lot more years to go to try to figure it out, but the problem is time is not on our side, because it’s moving so rapidly that if we don’t have a full court press on this, it’s going to get ahead of us, and it’ll be tough to put any kind of genie back in the bottle. 

McNamara: You said you’re not going to endorse essentially in the primary for your replacement in the Democratic Senate side, so I’m not going to impress you on it, but I’m going to ask you, what are the qualities that are needed, and let people read the tea leaves from there. 

Peters: I don’t know if you read the tea leaves, I think you should just be asking this question of all the candidates. Something that I’ve prided myself on is that I work across the aisle and find common ground, and you know the last three congresses I’ve passed more bills signed into law than any US senator. In fact, I even passed more laws signed into law when Donald Trump, in his second part of his first term. The Center for Effective Lawmaking, that really evaluates us on getting stuff done, which has said I’m the most effective senator. Trump actually signed more of my bills into law than any Republican senator. They said that’s never happened in the 50 years that they’ve been following this, and I think that’s the way you need to govern, especially a purple state like Michigan.

Michigan, we have the broad spectrum of politics and it can swing back and forth, and I’m blessed as a US senator to represent all of Michigan, not just the blue parts of it, the red parts too. And so, you’ve got to figure out ways to work and just solve the problems that we face as a country. And what I’ve seen over the years is that people can’t get out of campaign mode. Campaign mode is about hyper partisanship. I ran the Democratic Senate campaign committee for two cycles. I know what that’s about, and it’s bare fisted, and you got to fight. But once you get elected, you have to govern now, and you have to figure out how do we solve problems that the American people want to see solved. They want to see their democracy actually working to help them each and every day, and if we don’t do that, then we start losing something very special. When I’m in campaigns, I’m campaign Gary, then I turn off the campaign Gary, and now I’m governing Gary. 

I’m not in a campaign right now, so I can totally focus on trying to deal with these big issues like AI and Great Lakes protection and all the other things I care about, but that’s what we’re going to need, someone who’s willing to turn off the partisanship and turn on the problem solving in a common sense way. 

With the 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference underway, politicians, policymakers and journalists are gathering on Mackinac Island this week to discuss major issues facing Michigan and metro Detroit. 

WDET’s Russ McNamara heard about how Michigan’s leadership is handling big issues like gridlock in the state congress, data centers and international conflict. Read some of the key takeaways from today’s interviews and press conferences. 

Gary Peters on the war in Iran 

The ongoing war with Iran has led to a substantial rise in the cost of living. Oil prices rose sharply after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz 

Michigan U.S. Senator Gary Peters says higher diesel prices are only one part of the problem. 

“You’ve got a third of the fertilizer that goes through the Strait of Hormuz. That’s why food prices are going up dramatically,” Peters said. “Farmers are scrambling to try to get fertilizer, and it’s a whole lot more expensive.” 

Peters says the U.S. will be dealing with economic fall out for a long time, and that the attack on Iran was poorly thought out and hastily executed.  

Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill today that provides $150 million in state money to support upgrades to Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Southeast Michigan. 

According to Peters, the money will help support a new mission for the base and unlock federal funding for further improvements.  

“The really important, exciting thing about it is that because of this seed money… we’re going to bring in nearly $800 million from the federal government,” says Peters. “So we’re going to have the best Air National Guard base in the country.” 

The base is set to get a new fighter jet and air tanker mission. The defense industry adds more than $30 billion to the state economy each year, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. 

Ranjeev Puri wants to see programs continue under next state budget

The budget process in the Michigan House is on a much better track than last year. 

House Minority Leader Ranjeev Puri says the political will is there to get the budget done on time this year.  

“Last year, noticeably, the speaker dragged the budget out well past the constitutional deadline into September, October,” Puri says. “This year, I think there is a motivation to try to get it done on time.” 

Republican Matt Hall held up a lot of the process during his first year as speaker of the House, hoping to send a political message and drive cuts. The deadline to present budget bills to the governor is July 1. 

Representative Puri says Hall is motivated to get a budget done this year so legislators can hit the campaign trail. 

Democrats have a two-seat advantage in the Michigan Senate and Republicans have a six-seat advantage in the House, so a drawn out budget fight is unlikely. 

Democrats are ready to fight to keep things like the RX Kids program for infants and new moms, states Puri. “If we’ve gotten to a place in our political discourse that’s saying that newborns are waste, fraud and abuse, we’re just not going to agree.” 

Puri says another program Democrats see as a sticking point is universal free school meals. 

He praises the state for setting a standard by guaranteeing breakfast and lunch to public school students. “I think that’s something we should take a lot of pride in, just being able to make sure that kids are learning on a full belly.” 

Hall has been critical of the free meal program, and tried to have it cut last year. He targeted mostly social programs for cuts while championing a rollback of the state’s property tax and education tax as a broader drawdown of state spending. 

DTE Energy plans energy storage for data centers 

DTE Energy is using battery energy storage to help provide power for planned data centers – including one in Saline Township.  

LG Energy Solution Vertech will provide energy storage with batteries manufactured in Holland, Michigan. DTE Energy CEO Joi Harris says they’re hoping to get the project completed by the end of next year.  

“It’s not a matter of if these projects will come to fruition – it’s when,” says Harris. “And when the first data center project we’re supporting comes online, expected by the end of 2027, our intention is to pause rate increase for at least two years.” 

Harris said the battery storage facilities will be located near the data center. 

“It’s not going to be on the Saline footprint. It will be built outside the Saline area. And this is clean generation,” Harris said. “What this does is allow us to take excess electrons off the grid and dispatch them as needed.” 

Residents in Saline Township and nearby areas have largely been against the data center despite potential economic benefits. The project was approved by the Michigan Public Service Commission and has moved forward with construction after Saline settled in a lawsuit.

DTE Energy says the battery energy storage represents a $1.6 billion investment.