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Answering the Call: How To Improve DoD-Industry Partnership

by Marion C. Blakey, AIA President & CEO
Originally appeared in Defense News, September 13, 2010

Can the aerospace industry "do more without more," as one senior Pentagon official put it? We can - and will - as long as we have willing partners at the Defense Department.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates set the bar high with his Aug. 9 announcement of plans for realigning Pentagon spending. All Americans recognize the need for budget constraint and increased efficiencies given the fiscal realities our nation is facing, and we must take steps to reform how the government does business. But the vital concern is responsibly meeting our national security needs. And that responsibility falls solidly on both government and industry.

Chief executive officers from the nation's leading defense companies have recently had a positive dialogue with Gates and Undersecretary Ashton Carter about how to best accomplish these goals. With decades of experience leading some of America's largest private-sector companies, these CEOs can bring valuable insight into how to best achieve the efficiencies that Gates seeks.

On July 26, the aerospace and defense industry, through AIA, provided DoD with nearly 100 recommendations for achieving acquisition efficiency, and we followed that with a "top 10" list of ways to reduce costs immediately.

Many of the secretary's proposals are consistent with the spirit of our recommendations, and we applaud his dedication to addressing inefficiency in government - as well as challenging industry to do the same.

In a July 29 meeting with Gates, the CEOs of many of AIA's large and small member companies offered several incisive initiatives that we believe can reduce costs significantly:

Read more at Defense News.