A technology company that builds thermal imaging systems for the U.S. military is establishing a new headquarters in Pentagon City.

FLIR Systems announced Thursday it plans to open a 30K SF headquarters facility in the Pentagon Row mixed-use complex at 1201 South Joyce St.

The government contractor, a public company trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker FLIR, has a market value of $6.8B. FLIR is currently headquartered in Wilsonville, Oregon. It will maintain that office and continue to be incorporated in Oregon, but its CEO and other executives will move to Arlington. It previously occupied a smaller office in Crystal City that housed about a dozen employees, who will move to the new headquarters.

The company's largest customer is the U.S. government. Its new Pentagon City headquarters will house FLIR's Government and Defense Business Unit and feature a conference center to host government clients.

"FLIR is a global company serving diverse customers around the world with advanced technologies," FLIR CEO Jim Cannon said in a release. "Having a greater presence in Washington D.C. is critical to helping us grow our business, as it creates better proximity for FLIR to support key customers, investors, regulators and the more than 4,000 FLIR team members around the world."

The 298K SF Pentagon Row mixed-use complex, owned by Federal Realty Investment Trust, features retail anchors such as Harris Teeter, Bed Bath & Beyond and TJ Maxx. It sits next to the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City mall and the Pentagon City Metro station, less than a mile from the Pentagon.

In addition to the proximity to the Department of Defense, the office is also within a half-mile of the future home of Amazon HQ2. Economists have predicted Amazon's 25,000-employee hub could attract a host of other technology companies to the area, but it appears FLIR was more drawn to the region's traditional anchor: the U.S. government.