Blakey On Sequestration

Aerospace Industries Association CEO Marion Blakey thinks sequestration will ravage the aerospace and defense industry. In a year-end Q&A with SmartBrief, she said:

We believe the cuts will be devastating to our national security, economy and industry. With more than 1 million jobs at stake, our only option is to keep fighting. That means more rallies, more outreach to the press and ongoing efforts to educate policymakers and stakeholders across the country about the disastrous consequences of gutting the U.S. aerospace and defense industry. Aerospace and defense is Second to None and we intend to keep it that way.

When asked about the prospects for U.S. competitiveness in the international marketplace, she responded:

To preserve and expand on our industry’s historical export surplus (more than $51 billion in 2010) requires a level playing field. Adequate access to export financing and robust U.S. government advocacy for civil, space and defense exports are fundamental necessities. Implementation of the administration’s Export Control Reform initiative in 2012 will also be critical.

The lack of predictability, efficiency and transparency in the current licensing system has damaged our industrial base in many key sectors and hurts our national security and foreign policy cooperation with close allies and partners. Even with the best technology, our members tell us that they’ve lost business to international competitors, with small businesses being most impacted.