As 2004 came to a close it brought good news for the U.S. Aerospace sector. Aerospace sales, orders, exports, and employment all increased significantly as defense-related industry categories showed robust growth.
As we come to the end of 2004 and look forward to the new business and political realities of the second half of this first decade of our new century there is much to do and much to ponder.
While signing the U.S. defense authorization bill last year, President George W. Bush reflected on the importance of preparing to meet the “threats of tomorrow.”
These are heady times for NASA, with an exciting new mandate to return man to the moon and keep going all the way to Mars. Elected leaders in Washington are backing up this new challenge with the all-important cash needed to make it a reality.
As House and Senate negotiators hammer out the details of NASA funding in conference, they will make major decisions about an area we can no longer afford to shortchange aeronautics research and development.
I applaud your editorial that sounded the alarm on the decline of NASA aeronautics funding (AW&ST;Jan. 30, p. 66). However, I fear your warning will not rouse the policy makers responsible for one of the most dramatic program erosions in recent memory.
The U.S. aerospace and defense industry is going strong this year, riding a wave of momentum from 2005 marked by strong business in the defense and space sectors and a wild flurry of commercial jetliner orders.
Not long ago, Defense Undersecretary Ken Krieg appeared before the U.S. House Armed Services Committee to talk about how to improve the department’s acquisition efforts.
While it may be true that defense-funding priorities haven’t shifted substantially, it isn’t because military budgets are shaped by pork and pet projects (“Weapons Permit: In Military-Spending Boom, Expensive Pet Projects Prevail,” page one, June 16).
The Worldwide Defense Spending Forecast published Sept. 11 was informative. However, the article, “U.S. Military Expenditures Outpace All Other Nations; Continue to Rise,” contained misleading information.
It’s hard to imagine a more dramatic wake-up call for U.S. space security efforts than China’s stunning anti-satellite demonstration Jan. 11.
The U.S. aerospace industry is building on an extremely strong showing last year toward a near future marked by strength in every segment — commercial airliners, defense, and space. The industry was highly successful in 2006, with total deliveries projected to surpass $184 billion, up more than 8 percent from last year’s $170 billion.
