Topeka ? The state’s three major military installations said they added more than $1.34 billion to the Kansas economy last year, providing stability and jobs while other sectors of the economy faltered.

An official with the Kansas Department of Commerce and Housing said Wednesday the military’s figures for Fort Leavenworth, Fort Riley and McConnell Air Force Base should not be taken lightly.

“The military is a different animal,” said Steve Kelly, deputy secretary of commerce. “It’s not on the same cyclical lines of the rest of the economy.”

Kelly said the military provided a stable work force at a time when aviation and agriculture suffered from recession and drought.

Fort Riley is the state’s largest military installation, with more than 10,000 soldiers, 12,000 family members, 19,000 retirees and 4,100 civilian employees. The military said that translated to $688 million in economic impact on the state in the 2002 fiscal year, an increase of almost $74 million from the previous year.

Over recent months, the post has played a role in the training of more than 5,000 reservists who were deployed for duty in the Iraqi war and for homeland security.

Lt. Col. Mike Shepherd, a spokesman for Fort Leavenworth, said while the post’s direct impact totaled more than $200 million, those dollars turned over 2 1/2 times in the local economy, becoming $500 million in the Lansing and Leavenworth areas.

That impact has been constant in recent years, he said. The post is home to 3,800 soldiers and another 4,400 family members. Another 7,000 military retirees live in communities near the post.

“A lot of businesses are tailored for them in this area,” Shepherd said.

Officials at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita calculate the impact of its active duty units to be $356 million. The figure does not take into account the impact of the 931st Air Refueling Group of the Air Force Reserve or units of the Kansas Air National Guard.

“With McConnell in Wichita, it is one of the things that adds to the aura of Wichita as an aviation capital,” Kelly said.

Wichita is home to Boeing, Raytheon, Cessna and Bombardier aircraft manufacturing plants, with more than 30,000 employees combined.

The military has played a role in Kansas for nearly 180 years. Fort Leavenworth was established in 1827 and was a key location for U.S. military operations in the west. Today, it is home to the Combined Arms Center, where the nation’s military leaders are trained for combat.

Fort Riley was established in 1853 to protect movement on the Oregon and Santa Fe trails. Later, it became the Army’s primary cavalry training post. Today, it is home to the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized); 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized); 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division; and the 937th Engineer Group.

The data on economic impact does not include the more than 8,000 Kansas Air and Army National Guard members or reserve units scattered across the state.