Oshkosh Corp., a specialty truck company in Wisconsin, bid on a $3.2 billion contract to build a armored truck for troops in Afghanistan. Because of the a decrease in demand for other vehicles, the company was able to produce the trucks more quickly than its competitors, as well as come up with innovations that won them the contract. The company has landed other military deals and hired 600 workers in the summer, bringing the unemployment rate in Oshkosh down to 7.6%. Oshkosh's bid for another contract has brought up whether the issue of the number of jobs created or lost should be a factor that the military takes into account when awarding contracts, as some congressional leaders have said. Others disagree, saying that the Department of Defense does not have a responsibility to create jobs.
See "Pentagon contract saves jobs at Wisconsin truck maker Oshkosh Corp.", Dana Hedgpeth, The Washington Post, December 20, 2009