The City of Ridgecrest is home to the China Lakes Naval Weapons Station. The Base has been designated by the Department of Defense to be a premier center for Research and Development of Naval Weapons Systems. They are the headquarters for Autonomous Drone development, which is revolutionizing modern warfare. The base is currently undergoing a $3 billion dollar refurbishing and redevelopment program. When this reconstruction is completed in 2025, the base will have the most modern, state of the art, Naval Weapons Development facility in the United States, if not the world. Ridgecrest with it’s Southern Sierra Regional Hospital and the Walmart Supercenter is the medical, and shopping hub for the region. The Walmart has exceeded their projections since the day they opened, and the new Panda Express had the second largest grand opening in the company’s history.