general dynamics out of sonoma county
In the heart of Sonoma County wine country,
a few blocks from the downtown plaza of Healdsburg, where “sophistication meets small town charm,” lies an unassuming building where death is manufactured: a factory of General Dynamics, the world’s 5th-largest weapons manufacturer, where the company builds weapons parts for the genocide of Palestinians.
About General Dynamics
General Dynamics is a global aerospace and defense company with four business groups: Aerospace, Marine Systems, Combat Systems, and Technologies. In their words: “From Gulfstream business jets and combat vehicles to nuclear-powered submarines and communications systems, people around the world depend on our products and services for their safety and security.”
Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should. It is pretty clear who and what this business serves: US imperialism and the current genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people. In the midst of the sixth great extinction and the U.S. “forever wars,” GD is not helping to solve the problems that affect everyday people. Where is the GD business group for putting great minds to work to end all conflicts, so we can get to the task of transitioning away from fossil fuels and creating a more just and sustainable future for all flora, fauna, and people
General Dynamics Weapons Manufacturing
General Dynamics manufactures several weapons that are deeply implicated in Israel’s genocide against Palestinians. These include their MK80- series of bombs, which include 500-, 1,000- and 2,000-pound bombs, as well as 155mm artillery shells. A January 2024 investigation by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) denounced that General Dynamics “supplies Israel with artillery ammunition and bombs for attack jets used in Israel’s assault on Gaza.”
In the second year of Israel’s bombing campaign against Gaza, GD’s 2024 net earnings were $3.8 billion, a 14.1% increase from 2023.
General Dynamics spent $12,210,000 on lobbying in 2024 and had a total contract value of $144,000,000,000.
For over two decades, General Dynamics Ordinance and Tactical Systems has operated out of Healdsburg.
The local facility manufactures Control Actuation Systems which guide missiles, artillery shells, and other deadly projectiles during flight. These technologies are designed to be used in warfare, including for missiles launched from war planes.’
The GD facility in Healdsburg has had a contract with an Israeli firm, Controp Precision, for the exclusive manufacture of border surveillance technology.
GD manufactures weapons for Israel despite the Israeli government stating that it plans to ethnically cleanse Gaza. Israel has blocked all food, fuel, and other necessities from reaching the people of Gaza, has destroyed every university and hospital in Gaza, and has targeted religious and cultural sites and refugee camps.
What little food has been allowed into Gaza through the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) has been accompanied by almost daily incidents of soldiers opening fire on Gazans waiting for food. Since the GHF started in May 2025, 798 people have been killed waiting in line for food with 615 of the deaths happening at sites run by the GHF.
GD manufactures several weapons used in Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians. These include 500, 1000, and 2000 lb bombs, 155mm artillery shells, parts for F-15, F-16, and F-35 fighter jets, and diesel engines for the Merkava IV battle tank.
In December 2023, Amnesty International confirmed that an October 10 Israeli airstrike on the al-Najjar family home in Gaza with a 2,000 pound bomb – the body of which would have been manufactured by General Dynamics – fitted with a JDAM device made in the US by Boeing – killed 24 people including
Susanne Subhi Asalam Najjar (40) and her daughters Safa (17 months) and Farah (23), and sons Yazan (14) and Nadim (20).
The 2000 lb bombs were mentioned by South African attorneys in their genocide case before the International Court of Justice, stating that their use has “decimated the north, including refugee camps.”
General Dynamics’s profits are inextricably linked to the carbon footprint of the US military, which is the largest institutional consumer of fossil fuels on the planet. The US military used approximately 269,230 barrels of oil per day in 2017.
The genocide in Gaza has resulted in over 39 million tonnes of debris polluting soil and water in the region. All Gazan wastewater plants have shut down, causing 130,000 cubic meters of sewage to contaminate the ocean every day, while GD’s profits climb.
GD has been contracted for the IDENT system, which DHS uses to track biometric info of over 230 million individuals, and ARIES, which allows fingerprint sharing between DHS and foreign partners.
GD profited from the forced separation of 5,500 children from their families from 2000 to at least 2024 by providing services related to the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s role in enforcing Trump’s family separation policy.
Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) selected GD alongside Elbit Systems to upgrade surveillance towers along the border from 2024-2038. GD has a $1.8 billion contract for this work.
GD is the primary contractor for CBP’s Remote Video Surveillance System Upgrade program, which allows CBP to scan large swaths of the US-Mexico border, provoking a rise in migrant deaths.
Our local governments are complicit
Supporting divestment from companies like General Dynamics which profit from imperialism and genocide is one way to fight back. Without investment policies which explicitly prohibit investments in weapons manufacturers and genocide, our local tax dollars continue to be a weapon used in the name of war and genocide.
Direct investments in General Dynamics
In 2024, both Healdsburg and Santa Rosa had investments in General Dynamics. Without policies that prohibit future investments in General Dynamics, we believe our local governments will continue to profit from this genocidal company whenever they find it beneficial.
Indirect Investments in General Dynamics
We should also divest from companies which are themselves top investors in General Dynamics. As of December 2024, Sonoma County local governments have investments in some of General Dynamics’s top institutional investors. These include: Blackrock, Inc, State Street Corp, and Wells Fargo.
Investments in Other Weapons Manufacturers
We should divest from all weapons manufacturers so that our policies are consistent with our values.
As of January 2024, Healdsburg had investments in Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin is the world’s largest military company, and it provides the Israeli government with fighter jets, attack helicopters, and missiles. It also makes reconnaissance aircraft that are used by the US to monitor the US-Mexico border. More information about Lockheed Martin can be found here: https://investigate.afsc.org/company/lockheed-martin
As of February 2025, Santa Rosa had investments in Honeywell International, which creates weapons components used against Palestinian people. More information is available here and here.
Investments in the Genocide of Palestinian People
In addition to weapons manufacturers, local Sonoma County cities and counties have investments in companies which profit from the genocide of Palestinians. These include: Apple, Caterpillar, Microsoft, and Toyota.
Take Action Now
Sign Sonoma County Divest’s petition calling on local governments to immediately divest from companies like General Dynamics which manufacture weapons and profit from genocide and apartheid.
Weekly Protest
Join weekly protests against General Dynamics Saturday from 10am-12pm in Healdsburg.
On the first and third Saturdays of each month, the location is Healdsburg Farmers Market at the intersection of West North and Vine Street,
On every other Saturday, the location is the traffic circle at the intersection of Mill Street and Healdsburg Ave.
gdoutofsoco.org 