In celebration of National Aerospace Week, the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) recently held a reception focusing on building national security partnerships.
The featured speaker was Ambassador Tina Kaidanow, acting assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs.
“At a time when the American public is looking to us to bolster U.S. national security, create economic opportunity, broaden U.S. markets in essential regions overseas, and achieve long-lasting growth, government and industry must work harder than ever before to be both strategic and fully collaborative in their approach to defense sales and arms transfers,” Kaidanow said.
Kaidanow said many opportunities are available for cooperation between the U.S. government and private industry.
The AIA represents 2.4 million aerospace and defense industry employees. These employees must provide the U.S. military and its allies with predictable, efficient and transparent defense trade policy and processes the AIA said.
Technology poses a security threat when in the hands of the nation’s enemies. The AIA supports Security Cooperation Enterprise Reform which would provide resources, training and interagency coordination between industry and the government.
Reform means the industry would benefit from increased technology innovation funding and from more high-skilled and high-paying jobs. The government would benefit from lower military acquisition costs, AIA said.