Arlington, Va. – The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), the leading voice for America’s aerospace and defense industry, is proud to announce its new role as a National Facilitator for the U.S. Navy Talent Pipeline Program (TPP)—a high-impact initiative aimed at strengthening Defense Industrial Base small/medium suppliers skills to improve the performance of their Talent Acquisition and Retention Systems, run a better business, and provide more industrial capacity. This partnership underscores AIA’s commitment to supporting small and medium-sized manufacturers across the country.
“Building and sustaining world-class talent pipelines is at the core of our mission—ensuring our industry stays at the forefront of innovation, while leading in recruitment, development, and retention,” said Eric Fanning, AIA’s President and CEO. “This initiative offers a smart, scalable solution to one of our industry’s most pressing challenges—building a sustainable, skilled workforce. By helping our members access proven team performance improvement strategies and resources, we’re not just supporting individual companies—we’re strengthening the entire defense industrial base.”
Originally launched and funded by the U.S. Navy and now open to all companies across the Defense Industrial Base (DIB), the TPP equips employers with the tools to address workforce challenges head-on. Through training, coaching, and recognition, the program supports those who “own the problem” and implement best practices in recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and retention—all at no cost to participating employers. The heart of the TPP lies in its collaborative model: partners commit to sharing insights, learning from one another, and providing hiring and retention data to demonstrate measurable progress and continuous improvement.
“AIA’s pledge to serve as a TPP National Facilitator underscores the growing impact of a program started in 2021—now with 452 Employer Partners nationwide,” said Joe Barto, TPP Program Leader. “Our missions are aligned, and when an organization like AIA champions the value of the TPP and encourages member participation, it provides a huge tail wind for accelerating our national roll out. More importantly, AIA’s use of its conferences and forums to foster shared learning and collaboration is what TPP is all about. AIA’s endorsement and active support are invaluable to our efforts.”
In 2024, more than 2.2 million workers across all 50 states and Washington, DC were employed in the U.S. Aerospace and Defense (A&D) industry. As the sector continues to evolve, sustaining a strong and resilient workforce to stabilize supplier teams, improve business performance and increase production capacity remains essential to national security and economic growth. AIA has long championed efforts to attract, develop, and retain top talent—and this new partnership with the TPP marks another important step in that mission.
Learn more about joining the program here: https://youtu.be/qH6Cuffyo2o
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