Aerospace Exports Promote Alliances and Economic Recovery
December 09, 2009
Nearly half of U.S. aerospace sales are exported and are a foundation for building key relationships and shared security and prosperity with important international allies and partners, AIA President and CEO Marion Blakey said Wednesday in testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade Subcommittee.
“We estimate nearly half of our workforce is dependent on aerospace exports,” said Blakey. “As the industry becomes more global, a modernized export control system will help our industry compete in the international marketplace, grow jobs and expedite our economic recovery.”
Congress has been instrumental in recent export control modernization initiatives, including reducing licensing times at the State Department to an average of 15 days and ensuring FAA-certified components are not treated as military items.
AIA supports a number of provisions to modernize the export control system, included in H.R. 2410. These include giving the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls more flexibility in using industry registration fees to improve the licensing process, improving the process to notify Congress of export sales, streamlining licensing of spare and replacement parts to NATO countries and returning jurisdiction for licensing commercial satellites to the Executive Branch. AIA is also encouraging the Senate to ratify the U.S.-UK and Australia Defense Trade Cooperation Treaties
The association is looking forward to working with the administration on its interagency review to make the export control system more efficient, predictable and transparent. It has sent a letter signed by more than 100 chief executive officers supporting the review and identifying long-term areas for improvement. The letter and white papers with specific recommendations for the review to consider are posted on the AIA web site.
“Aerospace exports fuel job growth and the competitiveness of the most innovative industrial base in the world,” said Blakey. “The government-industry partnership supporting aerospace exports is crucial.”
