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The Voice of American Aerospace and Defense.
Position Summary:
The Director, Membership assists AIA's support of the Supplier Management Counsel (SMC) as well as all activities relating to AIA's membership at large. The candidate will report directly to the Assistant Vice President, Membership.
The director is responsible for advising and assisting the Supplier Management Council (SMC) on the entire range of issues pertinent and important to the SMC. The SMC is a non-attributional forum within AIA, where senior supply chain representatives from system integrators and manufacturers work together to address issues impacting the aerospace and defense supply chain. The director is the primary representative for oversight and support for the working groups of the SMC and has primary responsibility to address issues pertinent to the SMC including: international initiatives, legislative and policy concerns, regional meetings and working groups associated with the SMC. Additionally, the director will assist in the recruitment of new members, maintaining AIA's member portfolio and managing the Association Management Software. This is a full time position located in Arlington, VA.
Core Duties and Responsibilities:
The ideal candidate must have membership and/or customer service, and database experience. Must demonstrate the ability to multi-task; be responsive to the needs of the membership, provide members with outstanding service; be exceptionally organized and have the ability to prioritize, with the flexibility to shift efforts and priorities, as needed. Must be a pro-active and creative thinker; a problem solver with the ability to "think on your feet." Must be comfortable dealing with C-suite executives.
In addition to normal responsibilities, a key function of the position is to keep abreast of all the various issues and efforts undertaken by the Membership division in order to be in a position to provide professional assistance to the Assistant Vice President, whenever called upon to do so. The incumbent may also be called upon to carry out ad hoc assignments.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following items:
Membership Services:
Qualifications and Experience:
Experience Required
Special Skills or Requirements
Purpose: This position is responsible for managing the publication process, electronic maintenance and distribution of National Aerospace Standards (NAS). Oversees the execution of the mandatory 5-year review process for the NAS library that requires a production rate of 300 standards per year. Manages the detailed transactions with the National Aerospace Standards Committee (NASC) throughout the various steps of the standards process from project initiation through final publication. Supports standardization activities of AIA.
Nature and Scope of Work:
Reporting: This position reports to the Director, Standardization
Typical Duties include but are not limited to:
• Managing the review, approval and publication process for standards developed by AIA committees
• Registering NAS Standards with the Library of Congress for copyright
• Maintaining NAS Master Archive and Standards Database (SharePoint environment)
• Fielding standards related inquiries to AIA
• Writing articles for AIA monthly newsletter on NAS standards activities as needed
• Supporting standards development activities and outreach with other organizations
Support of the National Aerospace Standards Program Activities as follows:
• Serve as the Executive Secretary of the National Aerospace Standards Committee (NASC) in accordance with NASC Handbook requirements.
o Support NASC Steering Committee workload via teleconference; prepare agendas, meeting notes, and follow-up action items.
o Provide guidance to the committee on NASC Handbook and other AIA policies
o Manage NASC Technical Advisor approval process and annual invoicing
o Maintain balloting schedule for 5-year reviews; provide oversight for admin staff
o Manage project approval process and provide working files to sponsors
o Attend and support at least 3 off-site meetings per year (travel required); record meeting minutes
• Support standards development activities and outreach with AIA Member Companies, government liaisons and technical advisors
• Generate management reports on all NAS Standards activities
• Manage NASC meeting budget approval process, site selection, contract negotiation, meeting announcement/RSVPs, on-site hotel coordination, review of hotel bills
• Maintain multiple software systems (for balloting, on-line collaboration, document posting, and roster maintenance)
• Coordinate with AIA Standards Engineer on 5-year review of all NAS standards
• Collaborate with AIA staff members on development/maintenance of standards throughout AIA
• Develop marketing collateral to promote program at meetings and events
• 4 year college degree required.
• SES AStd certification preferred.
• Excellent interpersonal, research, and communications (verbal and written) skills.
• Experience in standards development, project management, standards publishing, and meeting planning/hotel coordination. Knowledge of standardization policy issues.
• Ability to work within large groups with divergent views to build consensus and unity.
• Capable of making tactical decisions related to the above duties independently.
Access our 2016 electronic Membership Resource Guide below!
AIA relies on interns to support a wide array of activities, ranging from policy and regulatory advocacy to marketing and event support. the subject line. To apply, please submit a resume and to jobs[at]aia-aerospace.org and include your requested department.
AIA is looking to fill internships in all of our major functional areas including:
Aerospace Research Center
Civil Aviation
Communications/Public Relations
Legislative Affairs
National Security and Acquisition Policy
Internships are flexible depending on students' schedules. Interns are eligible to receive a monthly stipend. All submissions should be sent to: firstname.lastname@example.com
The Research Intern contributes to all activities undertaken by the Research Department, under the guidance of the Research Manager. Projects typically involve quantitative research related to the U.S. and foreign aerospace markets. While the majority of projects are quantitative in nature, many involve presenting the research findings in written reports, briefs, and position papers. Consequently, strong writing skills are also frequently utilized.
Primary Activities:
• Researches and prepares Aerospace Facts and Figures, a statistical handbook used worldwide as the authoritative compendium of U.S. aerospace industry data
• Maintains AIA databases; this frequently involves use of Microsoft Excel and Access
• Produces written, tabular, and visual materials for research reports, presentations, and publication
• Summarizes, revises, or interprets complex or specialized literature for general audiences
• Composes and edits specialized reports for internal or external circulation; proofreads material for publication
AIA is seeking a dynamic, motivated individual to join the communications team for an internship. AIA represents the largest aerospace and defense industry players before Congress and the administration. The communications team facilitates that interaction through publicity, media outreach and coordinating efforts among members with a broad diversity of interests. We have a number of special events this year, including the first-ever National Aerospace Week, an Executive Committee meeting and our 45th Annual Year-End Review & Forecast Luncheon. We are looking for a communications or journalism major to help out in all aspects of our busy office. Duties include: writing articles for newsletter, web site features and press releases; helping organize meetings and other event planning; and special projects. Join us for a first-hand look at the conjunction of industry and policy!
Work with an exciting team at the most prominent aerospace related association in the United States. AIA's membership department manages, coordinates and supports AIA's over one-hundred full members – companies like Lockheed Martin, The Boeing Company, ITT, GE, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, General Dynamics, Textron, Rolls Royce, and a host of other top notch global aerospace primes and suppliers make up the regular membership. One of membership's most critical tasks is organizing and staffing AIA's annual Members and Board of Governors Meetings. There are two major meetings held by AIA during the year. To assist and support our annual events, AIA is looking for an intern that is motivated, well organized, has a pleasant personal and telephone demeanor, writes well, and can work at a fast pace with a great team of AIA professionals. Reaching out to members, assisting with organizational and administrative aspects of the event, attending and supporting the events, assisting our civil, space, and international divisions organize CEO and senior management briefings, and many other tasks make up the duties. We also have an exciting membership campaign underway and a host of other tasks.
AIA has an open position for an intern who could assist on a project in the technical operations area. This project is coordinated by AIA for a group of experienced aerospace engineers who are responsible for the maintenance of the National Aerospace Standards (Fasteners) of the aerospace industry.
The project requires digitizing several hundred drawings, transferring text data and technical drawings into a standardized electronic template, and preparing a document for release to the NAS Committee. The AIA assumes professional responsibility for the work being done.
We are looking for someone who is familiar with general engineering principles, such as product specifications and technical drawing skills. The candidate should have experience with AutoCAD systems. The workflow of the project includes electronic, virtual as well as paper-based documentation and discussion; good communication skills are therefore very desirable.
Statement by Aerospace Industries Association President and CEO David F. Melcher on briefing informal Hillary For America advisors regarding AIA's priorities.
Arlington, Va. — The Aerospace Industries Association participated in a meeting today with informal Hillary For America advisors on issues of importance to our industry. As the Voice of American Aerospace and Defense, AIA's role is to educate our elected leaders, candidates for office and the general public on the importance of our industry to our economy and national security. AIA previously briefed Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Early in the campaign season last year, AIA developed a series of position papers that we distributed to every Congressional and Presidential campaign. Those papers can be viewed here: http://www.aia-aerospace.org/blog/view_our_campaign_position_papers We co.ntinue to pursue the opportunity to brief any active campaign on our priorities.
AIA is a strictly non-partisan organization and is not permitted – expressly or by implication – to endorse candidates for political office. Our briefings are for educational purposes only, and we welcome the opportunity to speak with the candidates about issues that matter to our nation, our industry and our members.
The summit will bring together leaders from industry, government, and education, along with Presidential campaign advisors and Congressional staff, to discuss challenges and plans for the future of STEM education and workforce development.
National Aerospace & Defense Workforce Summit
Capital Hilton, Washington, DC
Sep. 7-8, 2016
Event information & registration: http://www.cvent.com/d/mfqcsh
AIA and AIAA are partnered to host a 2016 national workforce summit to address ongoing concerns of the aerospace and defense (A&D) industry regarding the adequacy of U.S. science and engineering education and workforce development. With a new Administration taking office in January, now is the time to assess the current state of the A&D STEM workforce and determine what needs to be done going forward to sustain and advance this critical national asset and long-term priority.
While we were at Farnborough in July, AIA President and CEO Dave Melcher sat down with Defense News Associate Editor Aaron Mehta to discuss current trends in the aerospace and defense industry.
Five students from Odle Middle School in Bellevue, Washington, took first place in the International Rocketry Challenge at the 2016 Farnborough International Airshow on July 15. They bested teams from the United Kingdom, France and Japan. This is the second straight year a team from the United States claimed the international title.
Middle School Students from Bellevue, Washington Win Contest at Farnborough International Airshow
London — Five students from Odle Middle School in Bellevue, Washington, took first place in the International Rocketry Challenge at the 2016 Farnborough International Airshow on July 15. The U.S. team, sponsored by the Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), bested teams from the United Kingdom, France and Japan. This is the second straight year a team from the United States claimed the international title.
"The International Rocketry Challenge brings together students from around the world, and is a great example of our global partnership to improve youth interest in aerospace and STEM education," said Aerospace Industries Association President and CEO David F. Melcher. "Congratulations to the Space Potatoes and all of the IRC participants. Your hard work and ingenuity proves the future of our industry is bright."
The teams designed, built and launched rockets with a goal of reaching an altitude of exactly 850 feet within a 44- to 46-second flight window. This year's contest required rockets to carry two raw eggs, placed perpendicular to each other in the rocket's body, a task that complicated rocket design. Scores were determined by how close the rockets approached the required height and time; cracked eggs would disqualify the flight.
"Representing the entire country was really intimidating," said Mikaela Ikeda, captain of the Odle Middle School "Space Potatoes" rocketry team. "Luckily, we had each other for support and everyone did their jobs perfectly!"
The U.S. team, all eighth graders, included Mikaela Ikeda, 12; Stephanie Han, 13; Srivatshan Sakthinarayanan, 14; Karl Deerkop, 14; and Larry Jing 14.
The students presented their rocket design to a panel of international judges at Raytheon's Farnborough International Airshow headquarters. The contest, which is intended to build communication and presentation skills, counted for 40 percent of their total competition score. The U.S. took first place in this portion of the challenge.
"TARC showcases the promise of young minds from around the world," said Thomas A. Kennedy, Raytheon Chairman and CEO. "Competing in the aerospace industry's flagship rocketry competition teaches future engineers that subject matter expertise, competitive discriminators and collaboration drive successful missions."
The International Rocketry Challenge is the culmination of four separate competitions held annually around the globe: the Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) and the National Association of Rocketry (NAR); the United Kingdom Aerospace Youth Rocketry Challenge (UKAYRoC) sponsored by ADS, the UK Aerospace, Defense, Security and Space association; the French Rocketry Challenge sponsored by Groupement des Industries Francaises Aeronautiques et Spatiales (GIFAS), the French aerospace industries association; and, for the first time, the Japanese Rocketry Challenge, sponsored by the Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies and the Japan Association of Rocketry.
Each contest brings together teams of middle and high school students to design, build and launch model rockets with the goal of inspiring young minds to become engaged in science, technology, engineering and math.
For more than a decade, Raytheon has supported the winners of the Team America Rocketry Challenge as they compete at international air shows. The program is part of the company's broad-based MathMovesU® initiative to encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
Economic Development Mission to UK Airshow Highlights Indiana's Growing Aerospace Industry
FARNBOROUGH, England (July 12, 2016) – Today at the 2016 Farnborough International Airshow (FIA), the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) announced plans to host its Supplier Management Council conference in Indianapolis in the spring of 2018. Presented in partnership with Rolls-Royce and the state of Indiana, the conference will attract industry leaders and showcase Indiana's growing aerospace and aviation industry.
"Aerospace has taken flight in Indiana," said Governor Mike Pence. "With the recent growth from companies like Rolls-Royce, GE Aviation, Raytheon and Alcoa, Indiana is soaring as an aerospace industry leader. Thousands of Hoosiers work in the industry today, a number which only continues to climb with increased visibility for our state at events like the Farnborough International Airshow and the Aerospace Industries Association conference. Today's news is further evidence of Indiana's advancing aerospace industry, and we look forward to hosting the Aerospace Industries Association and its members here in the Hoosier state as we work to attract even more jobs to Indiana."
AIA is a leading aerospace trade association, representing more than 300 of the nation's major aerospace and defense manufacturers and suppliers. The conference, which is held three times each year, will bring together industry partners in Indianapolis, providing a backdrop for companies to stay updated on the latest industry innovations and develop new business relationships.
"The partnership we're announcing today among Indiana, Rolls-Royce and AIA is a great example of what can happen when industry and government work together to identify opportunities for smart growth and economic development, bringing highly skilled and high-payer aerospace manufacturing jobs to Indiana," said David. F. Melcher, president and chief executive officer of AIA. "We are particularly proud today to recognize Indiana as the first state to partner with AIA and one of our member companies to host a Supplier Management Council meeting. This is a major step forward in our efforts to convene large and small companies to enhance opportunities for our industry and the communities that support them, and we hope other states and companies soon come forward with similar arrangements."
Today's announcement was made from the Indiana booth at FIA in the United Kingdom, as a delegation of Indiana business, education and economic development leaders are attending the airshow. Global aerospace business executives and industry leaders were in attendance today at the booth during the announcement to learn more about the Hoosier state.
FIA is the world's largest exhibition dedicated to the aviation industry and alternates annually between London and Paris. More than 100,000 trade visitors and more than 1,500 exhibitors from 39 countries attended FIA in 2014, providing an ideal opportunity for Indiana to highlight its many advantages for doing business. Governor Pence led a jobs and economic development mission to the U.K. in 2014, where he attended the airshow and met with executives from the world's leading aerospace companies.
"Indiana's business climate is propelling growth and innovation for aerospace companies large and small, and we're proud to share our story as a state that works at the Farnborough International Airshow," said Victor Smith, Indiana Secretary of Commerce. "This week our Indiana delegation is having meetings with job creators from the aerospace industry around the world, discussing our state's affordable business climate, world-class universities and hardworking workforce of engineers and other aerospace professionals. We're hearing great things from industry leaders who have descended here in Farnborough, and look to bringing this continued momentum back to the Hoosier state."
As part of the economic development mission to the airshow, members of Indiana's delegation to FIA are participating in two roundtable discussions hosted by the AIA and a reception with more than 800 industry leaders at the U.S. Ambassador to the U.K.'s residence in London. The delegation is also meeting with executives from some of the world's most influential aerospace companies, including Rolls-Royce, GE Aviation, Alcoa, Raytheon and Praxair, which also operate facilities throughout Indiana.
"Aerospace companies like Rolls-Royce rely on firmly-established, superior relationships with their supply chain partners. These connections are even more critical to us today as we invest nearly $600 million in modernizing our Indianapolis manufacturing operations and new technology research," said Phil Burkholder, president of Defense Aerospace at Rolls-Royce North America. "We're honored to join forces with the state of Indiana and AIA to host the spring, 2018 Supplier Management Council meeting."
Hoosier companies attending the airshow as part of the economic mission include Indianapolis-based DIVSYS International, Applied Composites Engineering and Aerotonic; Jeffersonville-based Key Electronics and Shirley-based Tech Castings. While at the show, Aerotronic announced the launch of its new unmanned, electric helicopter, which has the ability to carry multiple sensors in a fully-enclosed bay.
In addition to the Indiana-based aerospace companies, the Purdue Research Foundation is attending as part of Indiana's delegation, where it is promoting its new Purdue Research Park Aerospace District. Several economic development organizations are also part of the delegation, including the Indiana Aeropsace and Defense Council, the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership and the Greater Lafayette Commerce. Real estate firm Holladay Properties is attending to promote the Indianapolis Airport Authority's initiatives to drive economic growth around the state's largest airport.
This week's economic development mission continues ongoing advancements in Indiana's aerospace industry. Within the last two years, the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, the Purdue Research Park Aerospace District and the Battery Innovation Center in Greene County have all partnered with the state to spur continued aerospace research and development throughout the state. Just last month, the University of Notre Dame opened a new turbomachinery research facility in South Bend, which will conduct research and test the performance of new gas turbine engine technology used by commercial and military aircrafts, power plants and the oil and gas industries.
As a global aerospace leader, 82 aerospace companies operate across Indiana and employ more than 6,880 Hoosiers. Over the last two years, leading aerospace businesses including Alcoa, BAE Systems, GE Aviation, Raytheon and Rolls-Royce have announced plans to invest more than $900 million into Indiana and create more than 1,200 new Hoosier jobs. The state's aircraft and spacecraft exports have increased at an average annual rate of nearly 30 percent since 2002.
PHOTO: Phil Burkholder, president of defense aerospace at Rolls-Royce North America; Indiana Secretary of Commerce Victor Smith; David Melcher, president and chief executive officer of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA); and Todd Probert, vice president of mission support and modernization at Raytheon announced today at Indiana's Farnborough International Airshow booth that AIA plans to host its 2018 Supplier Management Council conference in Indiana.
Media Contact:
Abby Gras (IEDC) – 317.232.8845 or firstname.lastname@example.com
Dan Stohr (AIA) – 703.517.8173 or email@example.com
Joel Reuter (Rolls-Royce) – 317.410.1000 or email@example.com
New data finds supply chain generates majority of U.S. A&D exports; foreign A&D customers crucial to American manufacturing
Farnborough, England and Washington, D.C. / July 11, 2016 — America's steadfast commitment to international trade in aerospace and defense was prominently on display at the opening of the Farnborough International Airshow today, punctuated by the first official flyover of the event by a Lockheed Martin F-35, and the opening of The Boeing Company's Centennial Pavilion to launch its "second century of aerospace."
Hand-in-hand with the marquee-name manufacturers exhibiting at the show this week, America's supply chain, largely comprised of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with fewer than 250 employees, stands out as the unsung hero of the U.S. A&D export economy.
According to new data compiled by the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), the A&D industry is the third largest U.S. exporter, accounting for $142 billion, last year — nine percent of all American exports, and a trade surplus of $81 billion. In 2014, the supply chain generated 58% of the nation's total A&D exports, $78 billion.
The numbers, summarized in a new AIA infographic, affirm the crucial importance of global partnerships and investment to America's A&D manufacturing base, led by supply chain companies whose technologies and innovations can be found on tens of thousands of programs and platforms around the world.
Click here for the summary infographic of the AIA data.
"The U.S. aerospace and defense industry benefits significantly from increased demand for U.S. civil aviation, satellite, and defense products generated by greater economic linkages with other parts of the world," said AIA CEO David Melcher. "Trade agreements like TPP and T-TIP as well as the level playing field provided by the U.S. ExIm Bank not only help secure the initial sale of major systems and platforms produced by large companies, but ensure that U.S. small- and medium-sized companies can generate exports for decades more to keep this equipment operating effectively and efficiently." At Farnborough, the competitive scope and scale of U.S. technology and innovation is on full display, with 360-plus American exhibitors on site, nearly one-quarter of the show's projected total, the largest international contingent outside of the U.K. More than 220 are exhibiting in the U.S. International Pavilion, representing 31 states, including 14 state pavilions. Fifty-five percent of Pavilion exhibitors are SMEs.
"Farnborough 2016 is a one-of-a-kind opportunity for America's finest aerospace companies to showcase their latest technologies and remind global firms of the many reasons they should look to the United States to find new suppliers and expand their operations," said U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker. "Our strong workforce, consistent investments in research and development, proven track record of safety, and access to overseas markets make the United States the best place in the world for global aerospace companies to do business."
Speaking alongside Melcher at the opening of the Pavilion, Pritzker underscored the role the public sector plays in supporting innovation in the aerospace industry.
"The American private sector is not alone in its quest to create 21st Century tools for the aerospace industry. Our public sector significantly contributes to research and development in partnership with our world-class universities and laboratories," she said. "For example, agencies like DARPA and NASA are collaborating with U.S. entrepreneurs to creatively address engineering problems in rocket propulsion and in-orbit operations. At the same time, state governments are working to create welcoming environments for foreign investment in aerospace and other sectors. Such resources and collaborations add measurable, competitive value for U.S. companies across the supply chain."
From high-profile multinational programs such as the F-35, to more discreet partnerships such as Essex Industries' recently announced UAE and Asian distribution agreements or the Dual
Diploma Master of Engineering Degree program announced by the University of Cincinnati and France's University of Bordeaux, U.S. exhibitors at Farnborough exemplify America's full-spectrum approach to global trade and national defense.
"Today's opening, and the U.S. participation in the Farnborough Airshow highlights the strength of the US commitment to the security of NATO, our long-lasting and continuing alliance with the U.K., and demonstrates our interoperability with allies and partners from around the world," said General Frank Gorenc, USAF, Commander U.S. Air Forces Europe and Africa."Strong trade partnerships that leverage the best of American technology and innovation deliver the ultimate return on investment: Jobs," said Tom Kallman, president and CEO of U.S. International Pavilion organizer Kallman Worldwide, Inc. "From OEMs to SMEs, America's ultimate capability is our aerospace and defense workforce. Our challenge is to ensure that as we implement new strategies to protect our economy and national security, we always have the best-trained and most-skilled professionals to do the work."
Acknowledging industry-wide interest in the topic of training and workforce development, Kallman will present "Inspiring the Next Generation of Innovation," a panel discussion and public forum planned for Thursday, July 14 at 9 a.m. in The Hub, a new thought-leadership forum the Pavilion organizer is hosting in Hall 3, in partnership with its Farnborough Airshow counterparts.
"Our industry is at the forefront of STEM — science, technology, engineering and math education — to keep us all competitive in the global economy. We hope that bringing this discussion to the exhibit floor at Farnborough will help inform the year-round, worldwide conversation about how aerospace and defense can continue to attract, train and retain the world's best talent," Kallman said.
The Hub is open to all trade visitors. Click here for a complete schedule of presentations in The Hub.
Founded in 1919 shortly after the birth of flight, the Aerospace Industries Association is the most authoritative and influential trade association representing the nation's leading manufacturers and suppliers of civil, military and business aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aircraft systems, space systems, aircraft engines, homeland and cybersecurity systems, materiel and related components, equipment services and information technology.
Export with purpose. Exhibit with confidence. Kallman Worldwide is an export marketing advocate focused on helping the United States of America and its leading businesses capitalize on international trade shows and events to grow their share of global markets. Our flagship U.S. International Pavilion programs cover all the details of creating and presenting a professional business environment to buyers, enabling exhibitors, clients and partners to make the most of their event opportunities, cultivate meaningful global business relationships and account for a measurable return on their export marketing investment.
Since 1963, Kallman has helped more than 10,000 companies, associations and government agencies stand out at nearly 1,000 industry and professional events in 46 countries. The company is headquartered in Waldwick, N.J., and staffs a Latin America office in Santiago, Chile, where it also owns and operates the U.S. Regional Trade Center. For more information visit www.kallman.com
Receptions, Roundtables, Meetings and the International Rocketry Challenge -- for details, see AIA's Aero Blog below:
The U.S. Aerospace & Defense industry generated a record $142 billion worth of exports in 2015, which is an increase of 62% over the past five years. Exports of supply chain products, specifically civil and military engines and parts, accounted for 58% or $78 billion of total U.S. A&D exports in 2014.
To: Nov. 16, 2016
To: Sep. 8, 2016
The Executive Report is an AIA quarterly publication which provides news and information about our association membership, AIA initiatives and events, and other information from around the industry.
Featured this quarter in the Executive Report:
President's Message: AIA's Agenda for America
Q & A With Andy Jazwick, Vice President of Strategic Development & Washington, DC Operations at CAE
AIA's Remy Nathan Testifies on Need to Improve FMS Process
Study Shows Robust Impact of A&D Industry
Aerospace Innovation
TARC Champs Headed to International Rocketry Challenge
President's Message: Expanding AIA's Influence through Strategic Partnerships
Q & A With Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics
Governors Hear from AIA's Susan Lavrakas on STEM Workforce Issues
AIA Backs NASA's New Aviation Horizons Initiative
Spring Supplier Management Council Meeting
Aerospace Industries Association Supplier Management Council Summer Meeting
Fort Worth, Texas
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Marillyn A. Hewson
AIA Chariman and Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lockheed Martin Corporation
Remarks AS PREPARED
Thank you, Dave, and good morning, everyone.
It's my honor to welcome you on behalf of the 125,000 men and women of Lockheed Martin and to serve as host for this year's AIA Supplier Management Council Summer Meeting.
We're glad to have you here in Fort Worth – home to our Aeronautics business and one of our largest manufacturing facilities, which you'll all have a chance to visit tomorrow afternoon.
I'm disappointed that I wasn't able to join you last night at Billy Bob's Honky Tonk.
I heard you all had a great time with your colleagues down at the Stockyards and really got a taste of Texas.
I hope you enjoyed the evening and had the opportunity to really connect with one another.
Those connections are one of the key purposes of this meeting and the reason it's so valuable for us all.
First, I want to thank you for taking the time to be here.
Maintaining a strong and healthy supplier base is critically important to the continued health and vitality of the Aerospace and Defense industry.
Our industry plays a significant role in the economic growth of our nation.
Just last month, AIA released the results of a study that quantified that impact.
The study found that in 2015, the U.S. Aerospace and Defense industry supported 1.7 million jobs, generated 300 billion dollars in economic value, and accounted for $63 billion dollars in tax revenue for local, state and federal government.
And that's just the economic impact.
Our industry is responsible for some of the most important technological breakthroughs ever produced.
Innovations such as jet propulsion, satellite communications and stealth technology, to name a few.
And we are leading the way in shaping the future of aviation, with advancements in areas like alternative fuels, hypersonics and unmanned platforms.
I've been hooked on this industry since the first day I walked onto our C-130 production line in Marietta, Georgia more than 30 years ago.
In the decades since, I've seen a lot.
And I can honestly say there has never been a more exciting time to be in Aerospace and Defense.
We are producing some of the most important technologies ever developed – technologies that connect the world, preserve our freedoms and expand our knowledge of the universe.
It's important work and our customers depend on us every day to deliver for them.
At Lockheed Martin, our tagline says, "We never forget who we're working for."
For us, that means our employees know that the work they do is providing a critical capability to a soldier on the ground, an airman in theater, an astronaut in space or an airline pilot flying across the ocean.
We know that our customers aren't only government agencies or major corporations.
Our customers are people – end users who rely on our technology to do their jobs, complete their missions, and get home safely to their families and friends.
I believe that each of us in Aerospace and Defense takes that responsibility very seriously.
And I believe that's what sets us apart as an industry.
So it's clear that the work we do is critical.
And we're here this week to talk about how we can work together to ensure we can continue to deliver for our customers around the world while keeping our businesses thriving.
Throughout the meeting today, you are going to discuss key policy issues, engage with some excellent guest speakers and share best practices with your peers.
This morning, I'd like to set the stage for those discussions by sharing some insight into what I consider to be the defining challenges and opportunities for our supply chain; and to discuss the role each of us can play in strengthening our position, supporting our customers and ensuring our continued success as an industry.
Like many of you, I travel all over the world meeting with customers, partners and leaders in government and industry.
Whether in Washington, D.C., Singapore, Munich or Riyadh, one message is overwhelmingly consistent.
Our customers are facing one of the most challenging, dynamic and unpredictable environments they've ever experienced.
Defense customers are experiencing unprecedented threats – escalating conflict in the Middle East, a migrant crisis in Europe, and provocative behavior from Russia, China and North Korea.
These are just some of the factors that are putting pressure on the defense resources of our nation and our allies.
At the same time, we are seeing increasing pressure on the defense and civil agencies' budgets.
On the Commercial side, airlines are feeling some relief from lower oil prices.
However, they still struggle with a difficult business model overall.
At the International Air Transport Association's Annual General Meeting in Dublin earlier this month, the organization projected that global airlines would turn a collective net profit of
$39.4 billion dollars this year.
It's only the second year in the industry's history, and the second in a row, in which airlines will make an aggregate return in excess of the cost of capital.
It's a significant achievement for the industry, though a fragile success.
Margins remain critically thin.
On average, airlines will make only $10 dollars and 42 cents for each passenger carried this year.
Even a small increase in fuel costs can erase those profits entirely.
And we're all facing increasing threats from terrorism, whether overt attacks on commercial airliners or coordinated cyber-attacks on government agencies and industry suppliers.
According to a recent Department of Defense memo, there were 30 million known malicious intrusions into DoD networks between September 2014 and June 2015.
Because of the nature and importance of our business, our industry represents one of the world's biggest targets for hackers.
This threat is even more alarming when you consider the thousands of companies in the Aerospace and Defense supply chain that manage sensitive data, many of which are
small businesses that may not have the resources to maintain the most sophisticated cyber defenses.
This is a serious issue and the stakes are incredibly high.
Clearly, our industry is facing a challenging and dynamic business environment.
That's why coming together in forums like this is more important than ever.
The Aerospace and Defense industry has faced challenges in the past, and we always rise to the occasion.
It is the spirit of overcoming challenge that defines our industry.
Look around this room.
Your colleagues here represent centuries of innovation, immense resources and exceptional talent.
The issues of the day demand our best solutions and I know we are up to the challenge.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said in his famous "Arsenal of Democracy" fireside chat that:
"American industrial genius, unmatched throughout the world in the solution of production problems, has been called upon to bring its resources and talents into action."
That call to action rings just as true today as it did in 1940.
And the people in this room and the companies you represent are best suited to answer that call.
So as you prepare to tackle some of these issues today, I'd like to share my thoughts on how we as an industry, can overcome these challenges, support our customers and navigate this dynamic environment to become stronger businesses.
I believe that we will be most successful if we pursue three key priorities:
1. An intense focus on affordability;
2. A collaborative approach to risk management and cyber security; and
3. Tireless advocacy for our industry and our customers.
Let me touch on each of these priorities, starting with affordability.
Our customers' budget constraints are having a significant influence on their decision-making.
Just as our customers rely on our ability to deliver break-through technologies, they also need us to pursue innovation in areas like manufacturing, materials and sustainment – all of which are key drivers of cost and value.
More and more, the cost-saving innovations we need to drive affordability come from our partners in the supply chain.
Major advances in additive manufacturing throughout Lockheed Martin's supplier base are making a significant impact.
For example, when our Space Systems business area was looking for ways to reduce costs on
our satellite parts, while also maintaining product quality, a company called Sciaky came to us with a solution.
We worked together to develop titanium propellant tanks that can be 3-D printed through the use of their electron beam additive manufacturing process.
The result was a tank that met our customer's performance standards, with an 80 percent reduction in the amount of time needed to manufacture it, a 75 percent reduction in waste and a 55 percent reduction in cost.
We're confident that innovations like these will continue to drive greater quality and reduce costs for our customers, which benefit our entire supply chain.
Just as prime contractors collaborate with their suppliers to drive affordability, we can make significant progress by coming together as an industry with our customers as well.
For example, the Air Force Research Laboratory has convened the Metals Affordability Initiative since 1999.
The working group brings together companies from up and down the value chain; from mills, forges and casting shops, to airframe and systems integrators and engine manufacturers.
The goal is to reduce the cost and improve the performance of metals and alloys, an important driver of cost given that metals make up nearly three-fourths of turbine engine components and two-thirds of a typical airframe's weight.
So far, the initiative has resulted in over half a billion dollars in savings for the customer on programs ranging from fighter jets to spacecraft.
By coming together as an industry in forums like this Council, I know we can make even more progress and deliver better and more affordable products for our customers.
The second priority is to increase our collaboration on risk management, particularly in the area of cyber security.
We face unprecedented threats to the continuity of the Aerospace and Defense supply chain.
It's important for us to address these issues at an industry level because they impact every one of us.
In Price Waterhouse Coopers' most recent Global State of Security survey, they found that between 2014 and 2015 – in just one year's time – the number of cyber security incidents detected throughout the world increased by 38 percent.
And it is widely believed that the prevalence of cyber threats will only grow in the years ahead.
We cannot afford to be in a reactive position as this issue evolves.
That means industry players must come together to share best practices and resources, especially with small- and mid-size companies that may not have the infrastructure to support a comprehensive cyber security program.
At Lockheed Martin, we regularly survey our suppliers to evaluate the state of their cyber security infrastructure.
In 2012, we found that one of our suppliers had some significant risks in their system.
We brought in our experts through a series of virtual meetings to train their team on the latest cyber security practices.
We shared information on the current threat environment and supported them in implementing industry best practices.
As a result of this teamwork, the supplier went from a red to a green cybersecurity rating.
And the partnership was recognized earlier this month with a Nunn Perry Award from the Department of Defense, which recognizes outstanding Mentor-Protégé collaboration.
The Supplier Management Council is making good progress on this important issue as well.
Since AIA released our first cybersecurity baseline standard in 2013, we've been positioning our industry as a leader in protecting sensitive information.
Helping our members understand and comply with evolving requirements is a key priority for AIA and I'm encouraged to see that you're focusing on some of those issues during this meeting.
I know this Council has done an excellent job of getting out in front of this issue and working with our key stakeholders to develop strong industry standards.
I encourage you to keep up the good work.
The third priority I would like to suggest we focus on is the need for each of us to be vocal advocates.
We need to be advocates for our industry and our customers on the issues that drive our mutual success.
We are uniquely positioned to drive the conversation in Washington and across the country when we come together on common priorities.
Issues like securing robust, balanced and stable funding for defense, space and civil aviation; promoting a healthy, efficient and innovative industrial base and Aerospace supply chain; improving industry-government collaboration on research and development and international trade; and shaping the regulatory environment for emerging technologies such as biofuels, next-generation air traffic control and unmanned aerial systems.
A coordinated effort to address these issues through forums like AIA will allow us to harness the collective capabilities of our entire industry.
A great example of collaboration across our industry is our engagement in the NextGen Advisory Committee.
As many of you know, NextGen is a comprehensive program to modernize America's air traffic control systems.
The advisory committee has brought together a wide variety of stakeholders from the FAA, airlines, cargo carriers, airports, the DoD, labor organizations and manufacturers to facilitate collaboration with a common goal of successfully implementing NextGen.
Thanks to the coordination happening through the committee, our customers are already seeing tangible benefits.
Right here in Texas, the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is reaping the benefits of this great work.
NextGen technologies have allowed for flights to safely take off with less distance between each aircraft.
According to the FAA, the result has been a 15 to 20 percent increase in departures per hour, which is a big difference at the fourth-busiest airport in North America.
NextGen shows that when our industry comes together with our customers to implement our innovative technologies, we can make a positive impact on the millions of people who depend on our products and technologies.
This is just one example of our collective success when we work together and advocate for our shared priorities.
And while there are many more success stories I could share, there is also still work to be done.
Each of us must make a commitment to get involved.
Every member of AIA has a unique opportunity to be the "grassroots" voice of our industry.
We have employees in all 50 states and that equates to a strong voice in the halls of Congress.
It's important that we work together to make sure that policymakers understand the positive impact we have on America's economy and the critical role we play in protecting American citizens.
I encourage each of you to continue to come together and actively look for ways to advocate for our industry and our customers with your local, state and federal government officials, with your local media and with your employees.
I truly believe that our industry is a national asset.
And we should proudly tell our story.
So to conclude, this is an exciting time for our industry, defined by technological breakthroughs, promising new technologies and increasing collaboration around the world.
At the same time, our customers face unprecedented challenges and are looking to us to rise to the occasion.
I'm confident that by focusing on affordability, collaborating to address the risks we face and advocating for our industry, we will succeed – and help our customers succeed – for the foreseeable future.
Seeing the great work you're doing here this week makes me excited about what we can achieve together.
Thank you again for being here and for inviting me to join you this morning.
To: June 14, 2017
Statement by Aerospace Industries Association President and CEO David F. Melcher on briefing the Trump campaign regarding AIA's priorities.
Arlington, Va. — The Aerospace Industries Association participated in a meeting today with the Trump campaign to brief Mr. Trump on issues of importance to our industry. As the Voice of American Aerospace and Defense, AIA's role is to educate our elected leaders, candidates for office and the general public on the importance of our industry to our economy and national security. AIA has also been in contact with the Clinton campaign regarding a similar opportunity to brief Secretary Clinton.
Early in the campaign season last year, AIA developed a series of position papers that we distributed to every Congressional and Presidential campaign. Those papers can be viewed here: http://www.aia-aerospace.org/blog/view_our_campaign_position_papers. We continue to pursue the opportunity to brief any active campaign on our priorities.
The Space Potatoes rocketry team from Bellevue, Washington, bested 100 of the top student rocketry teams in the country to claim first place at the 2016 Team America Rocketry Challenge National Finals.
Odle Middle School Declared National Champions, will Compete Internationally in July
Arlington, Va. – The Space Potatoes rocketry team from Bellevue, Washington, bested 100 of the top student rocketry teams in the country to claim first place at the 2016 Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) National Finals.
The five-student team outscored nearly 5,000 students on 789 teams that participated in this year's competition from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Space Potatoes, comprised of Mikaela Ikeda (12), Larry Jing (13), Karl Deerkop (14), Srivatshan (Sri) Sakthinarayanan (13) and Stephanie Han (13), were awarded more than $20,000 in scholarships and funds for their school.
"These students demonstrated incredible ingenuity and a passion for aerospace and STEM education," said David F. Melcher, President and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association. "We are proud of their accomplishments and wish them luck on their quest for the international title!"
Sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association and the National Association of Rocketry, TARC models the aerospace and defense industry's design, engineering and testing processes by requiring students to build a rocket that flies to exactly 850 feet and safely returns a payload of two raw eggs within 44-46 seconds. At the National Finals, students were required to adjust their rockets 'on the fly' to hit new flight/duration parameters for a second round of launches.
Aiming for a perfect score of zero, the Space Potatoes achieved an impressive combined score of 13.64, a mark that surpassed that of the 2015 world champion team. In July, they will travel to London – courtesy of The Raytheon Company – to represent the United States at the International Rocketry Challenge, where they will compete against teams from the United Kingdom, France and Japan.
"Rocketry competitions allow students to practice science, technology, engineering and math while testing the fundamental components of team building and collaboration," said Thomas A. Kennedy, Raytheon Chairman and CEO. "As technologists and engineers on a rocketry team, these students have set a foundation that will lead them to exciting and challenging professional opportunities."
TARC is sponsored by The Raytheon Company, along with Lockheed Martin Corporation, Thales USA and 20 industry sponsors.
"The middle and high school students taking part in this year's Team America Rocketry Challenge are part of the generation that will land humans on Mars and make scientific discoveries we can't yet imagine," said Marillyn Hewson, Lockheed Martin Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "As an industry, we must invest in their future by engaging and inspiring these students to pursue STEM education and choose a career in aerospace—and that's exactly what this program has done for the past 14 years."
"Congratulations to the Space Potatoes rocketry team, who had an impressive performance to win this year's competition," said Alan Pellegrini, CEO of Thales USA. "At Thales, we love seeing young people engage in the subjects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics – STEM – and TARC is an amazing opportunity to get students interested early. As part of the Mars Generation these students are our industry's future which is why Thales is proud to sponsor this competition."
For more information, visit www.rocketcontest.org.
View the multimedia news release: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7615351-team-america-rocketry-challenge/
Statement by Aerospace Industries Association President and CEO David F. Melcher on passage of Miscellaneous Tariff Bill.
Arlington, Va. — AIA welcomes the passage of H.R. 4923, the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2016. Also known as the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill, it passed both chambers with nearly unanimous bipartisan support. We strongly urge President Obama to sign the bill and pass it into law.
Tariff bills like this play a critical role for our manufacturers as they correct, on a temporary basis, costs and distortions by eliminating duties on imported products. Congress has not passed a new tariff package since the U.S. Manufacturing Enhancement Act in 2010 expired at the end of 2012. As a result, manufacturers throughout the country have faced higher costs on their domestically made products, through tariffs on key elements in the manufacturing process that must be imported.
H.R. 4923 would establish a new process to eliminate unnecessary taxes on imported resources and products for which there is no or insufficient domestic production and availability, improving the competitiveness of our manufacturers on a global scale. This will be especially important for our small- and medium-sized manufacturers, as they seek to grow their operations and sustain American jobs.
AIA applauds the bipartisan effort of both chambers and commends Congress for their swift action.
Montreal, 10 May 2016 – A High Level Meeting being convened by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) on 11 May received executive-level support from the aviation industry today, as leaders representing all parts of the sector encouraged governments to progress their deliberations on a global carbon offsetting scheme for air transport.
The ICAO discussions have been gathering pace since the UN specialised aviation agency agreed to the development of an economic mechanism at its Assembly in 2013. The next such meeting, in September this year, will decide on the design of the scheme in which CO2 emissions growth from 2020 is offset through the international carbon markets, effectively capping the growth in international aviation emissions. It is seen as part of a basket of measures to tackle aviation's CO2 emissions, alongside new technology, use of sustainable alternative fuel, improved operations and more efficient infrastructure.
At today's Global Sustainable Aviation Forum, timed to support the intergovernmental talks, Executive Director of the cross-industry Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), Michael Gill, said: "We are now less than five months away from the crucial ICAO Assembly, at which industry hopes governments will agree to go ahead with the global offsetting scheme. We have come a long way and made impressive progress. But key negotiating points remain and we encourage our government colleagues to spend the next few days ironing out any remaining differences at the ICAO High Level Meeting."
Following technical and political discussions, ICAO developed a proposal for a global offsetting scheme, which was presented to States in January. Consultations have taken place since then through regional education and outreach sessions. The High Level Meeting starting tomorrow is expected to make further progress, but sticking points such as differentiation between developing and developed economies remain.
Gill commented, "These discussions were never going to be easy – this is the first time any sector has attempted such a global mechanism. But the industry is fully behind the plan, as evidenced by an open letter sent to governments from 28 industry chief executives in September last year. We have followed that today with a Communiqué from the Global Sustainable Aviation Forum, outlining the industry's thoughts on the process."
The Communiqué emphasised:
The Communiqué is available at http://bit.ly/1WWXesZ and summarises interventions from the following aviation industry leaders:
ACI Director General, Angela Gittens, said, "The aviation industry is as one in our commitment to tackling climate change. Our goals, originally set out at ATAG's 2008 Aviation and Environment Summit, are ambitious and a globally agreed set of offsetting rules is vital to our continued unified progress on CO2 emissions reduction. We applaud ICAO for the work it has done to date and look forward to the positive outcome of tomorrow's High Level Meeting, marking a significant next step in aviation's world-leading climate change activities."
CANSO Director General, Jeff Poole, said, "As well as carbon offsetting, all parts of the industry have important roles to play in climate change actions. Improvements in air traffic management are helping to reduce emissions through measures such as performance-based navigation, air traffic flow management, shortening of routes and more flexible routings."
IATA Director General and CEO, Tony Tyler said, "Airlines are determined to do the right thing in mitigating their climate change impact. And we are counting on the 191 member states of ICAO to enable that important result by reaching an agreement later this year on a global market based measure."
IBAC Director General, Kurt Edwards, said, "IBAC supports ICAO's work to address carbon emissions. With more than 17,000 business aircraft operators around the world, we encourage ICAO to develop a global MBM that is simple, reasonable, and fair for all stakeholders."
Chair of ICCAIA, David Melcher, the President and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association, said, "We are optimistic that the ICAO Assembly will agree to a global market-based measure for operators. The measure will complement the four items that comprise our climate change improvement actions – technology, operations, infrastructure, and alternative fuel development and deployment. The recent agreement made on civil aircraft CO2 emissions illustrates that government, industry and NGOs can come together under ICAO and achieve a significant first-of-a-kind standard."
To: Sep. 29, 2016
For more information, see flyer here.
FAA UAS Rulemaking - The FAA recently demonstrated that government bureaucracies need not work at glacial speed to thoughtfully address technological change. This rulemaking model should be encouraged.
AIA believes government and industry can realize significant benefits by increasing and improving collaborative government and industry use of Model-based Systems Engineering (MBSE), especially during the early requirements definition phase. This white paper discusses the current state and benefits of MBSE across the entire life cycle and provides proposals for addressing such issues as MBSE Collaborative Framework, Government Data Rights, Intellectual Property, and Life Cycle Effectiveness with MBSE.
A new study commissioned by AIA from business information firm IHS Inc. concludes that aerospace and defense is a vital component of the U.S. economy, not solely for the role the industry plays in national security, transportation and technological innovation, but also because its influence spans many sectors and every state countrywide.
Arlington, Va. — The American aerospace and defense industry is a vital component of the U.S. economy, not solely for the role the industry plays in national security, transportation and technological innovation, but also because its influence spans many sectors and every state countrywide. This is the conclusion of a new study commissioned by AIA from business information firm IHS Inc. about the industry's economic impact.
"This new study demonstrates definitively that America's aerospace and defense industry is an engine of economic progress, in addition to its having a vital role in helping keep our citizens safe and secure," said AIA President and CEO David F. Melcher. "When you hear people talk about the importance of ensuring we keep good manufacturing jobs in the U.S., you can start with the solid foundation of our industry."
In the study, IHS estimates that in 2015 the U.S. aerospace and defense industry fueled the following contributions to the U.S. economy:
Melcher noted that contributing to economic performance of the American aerospace and defense industry of late has been "strong growth in international markets, including a record balance of trade in 2015 of $69.6 billion, which has helped accelerate our country's recent economic recovery." Melcher pointed out that the good news abroad "helped our industry deal with the negative headwinds caused by cuts to federal defense, civil aviation and space budgets mandated by the Budget Control Act of 2011 and global market forces that have negatively impacted the U.S. manufacturing base."
The complete study, "Aerospace and Defense Economic Impact Analysis," can be found on AIA's website: www.aia-aerospace.org.
In January 2016, the Aerospace Industries Association commissioned business information firm IHS, Inc. to quantify the economic contributions of the U.S. Aerospace and Defense (A&D) industry to the U.S. economy and provide enhanced understanding of the industry's extensive supply chain, by economic sector at the national and state level. The key findings of this study measure the economic contribution the A&D industry makes in terms of employment, value added (contribution to GDP), sales (output), labor income and taxes within the broader economy.
The Aerospace Industries Association takes great pride in our member companies' work in support of the space-based Earth observations capabilities that NASA, NOAA, the U.S. Geological Survey, and other government agencies put to use on behalf of our nation and people worldwide. Today, as this report details, space-based Earth observations are critical to saving lives in the event of natural disasters, improving the management of our resources and infrastructure, understanding our weather and supporting national security.
The next generation of space innovation is being driven by the global commercial space environment. Just as our nation did after initial Soviet successes, we must set the pace in space by out-innovating and out-competing the global competition.
Dave Melcher's speech at the 32nd Space Symposium makes the point that while U.S. space companies compete well in the $330 billion space global market, there's no question we could and should be doing much better.
To become the commercial space leader, we must acknowledge the next generation of space innovation is being driven by the global commercial space environment. Just as our nation did after initial Soviet successes, we must set the pace in space by out-innovating and out-competing the global competition. We must also be prepared to work with potential partners to grow the worldwide space economy.
Thank you and good morning. It is my pleasure to speak to you on behalf of America's aerospace industry – an industry that includes established companies and new entrants – both of which are essential to our 21st century space ambitions.
It's an honor to follow Congressman Jim Bridenstine who has brought new energy and commitment to the space policy discussion on Capitol Hill. I'm also very pleased to be the warm up act for NASA's leader, Administrator Charlie Bolden. His passionate advocacy of NASA's exploration and research missions deserves our praise. He also deserves our continued support. I was personally happy to do this when AIA recently participated with the Administrator in an event promoting NASA's bold New Aviation Horizons initiative.
Currently, AIA is working with scientific and academic community stakeholders to convince federal decision makers that NASA deserves an overall funding increase. It bears repeating that if NASA had the same purchasing power it had 20 years ago, its budget would $2 billion higher today. And that would buy us a lot of capabilities for aeronautics, human space exploration, and space science.
For those unfamiliar with AIA, let me tell you what we're all about. As the voice of America's aerospace and defense industry, we're fighting for strategic priorities that are critical to our nation's space leadership and for global space activities.
Our first priority is to advocate for policies and budgets that strengthen our industry and help grow the economy. That's why we vigorously fought to lift the budget caps that were harming NASA's ability to conduct new missions, NOAA's weather satellite programs, and DoD's space programs.
We also joined with our Space Foundation colleagues in developing a white paper to educate presidential and congressional candidates about the space industry's importance and diversity. While space has not been discussed in the presidential debates, it doesn't mean we shouldn't make the effort to inform all federal candidates about the important role space plays in all of our lives.
Our second priority is to improve the U.S. aerospace and defense infrastructure and retain U.S. industrial base capability – including the STEM workforce. We think these issues are critical to sustaining and advancing American innovation. Indeed, NASA is making great progress in creating hubs of innovation around the nation at its Centers and at universities, furthering the fact that space is a critical component of the U.S. innovation ecosystem.
A third priority is to work responsibly to enhance our nation's safety and security and protect the environment. We define the environment broadly to include space systems that monitor our home planet, as well as having a safe space environment to operate human and satellite space assets. That's why Space Situational Awareness is increasingly important. We simply can't afford to have a collapse of our space infrastructure – instead, we need to be building and protecting it.
A final priority and my primary focus for today is to ensure that the U.S. is a robust competitor in the global marketplace for space-related commercial infrastructure, products, and services.
At one time our nation was focused on the space competition with the Soviet Union—for military capabilities and civil space prestige. Now, as the Space Foundation's Global Space Activities annual report highlights, the international commercial market is largely propelling space enterprises. Of the $330 billion in global space activity in 2014, three quarters was commercially related.
While U.S. space companies compete well in this market, there's no question we could and should be doing much better.
I believe the European nations as well as Japan, Russia and India view the space market as a strategic commercial opportunity for growing their economies. And so should we. Yet in the past, we have literally shot ourselves in the foot with detrimental policies and political apathy that has denied billions in global market opportunities to U.S. companies.
The first decision was the 1998 congressionally mandated imposition of munitions-level export controls on satellites. American companies' share in the global commercial satellite market subsequently plummeted from 63 percent to 30 percent. Fortunately, due to the intervention of the Bush and Obama administrations a series of reforms has modernized export controls, giving our companies a fair chance to compete for commercial satellite contracts. I can tell you from my previous role as the CEO of Exelis that key contracts with Japan and South Korea for weather payloads helped to preserve a piece of the industrial base that is critical to our nation.
The second, more recent self-inflicted wound to U.S. commercial space success was last year's effort by an extreme minority in Congress to block reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank of the U.S. This was no small matter. During the several months that Congress failed to act on the Bank's future, U.S. satellite manufacturing companies and the small companies that support them lost at least three major satellites sales to foreign competitors and possibly launch service contracts as well.
While some Washington experts felt that fighting for Ex-Im was a lost cause our industry did not give up. AIA was part of a coalition that worked hard to convince legislators that the Bank's lending authority is essential to helping our satellite manufacturers. We argued that our foreign competitors, backed by very aggressive national credit banks, viewed with glee a U.S. economic policy of unilateral disarmament.
We're gratified that Congress heeded our call and voted in December to keep Ex-Im going strong. But we still need the Senate to confirm the President's nomination of Mark McWatters, a Republican, to the Bank's Board of Directors so that Ex-Im can fully function in supporting major U.S. export sales, including hopefully more space exports.
On this subject please let me make one thing very clear. We welcome international competition in the commercial space arena. Competition helps drive innovation. Our goal is to assure that U.S. companies can compete fairly in this important market segment. And our hope is that the U.S. government will realize – as other nations already have – that space provides an increasingly promising commercial business opportunity that can fuel our long-term economic growth.
Indeed, the larger lesson of the export control and Ex-Im fiascos is that rather than fighting defensive battles against self-defeating policies, we need to get on the offensive in this important commercial arena. To do this our nation needs a 21st Century Commercial Space Competitiveness Strategy.
To create the conditions necessary to compete in the global commercial space marketplace, we must invest in technology development, workforce, exports and innovation. And in our thinking, a strong, comprehensive 21st Century Commercial Space Competitiveness Strategy should include policy, regulatory and advocacy elements that achieve these objectives.
Let's start with policy. As just one example, hosted payloads have great economic potential – that is if there is a clear, well-coordinated policy that provides industry the opportunity to bring innovative solutions to the market. Hosted payloads cross both national security and civil applications and we must find a way to work collaboratively to address the challenge of their dual use, just as we have with Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
We also need policies that help spur and keep pace with technology development. Both the government and industry can join forces in supporting the development and fielding of bold new space applications for the commercial market such as Wi-Fi from space and even power generation.
Those federal agencies with trade portfolios should in our judgment adopt a positive focus on sector-specific elements of the space industrial base and establish measurable space trade and export objectives in each of those sectors. We should also consider giving NASA a space trade promotion role, to complement the work of our trade promotion agencies as they seek to enhance U.S. space competitiveness as well as to promote enhanced space cooperation.
Turning to regulation, we strongly believe in building on the momentum of export reform. We encourage the U.S. government to immediately publish the final rules for Category 15—Space Systems— emphasizing raising the limits of allowable aperture size which reflects changes in the global marketplace. Right now we are behind and we're falling further behind.
In addition, the government should work expeditiously to complete the regulatory rulemaking related to dual-use communication satellites so companies no longer face unnecessary barriers when pursuing export sales.
We also should take forward-leaning stances on orbital debris mitigation and compliance with accepted best practices backed by transparency and confidence building measures that ensure all commercial players freedom of access to space.
A final regulatory issue involves spectrum. We believe the U.S. should avoid disrupting globally harmonized spectrum bands, including the Ka-bands, for future global satellite systems. This is a common sense recommendation that will help ensure the prosperity of future space commerce.
The last element I'd like to discuss is advocacy—built hopefully on a bipartisan national consensus about the need for U.S. international commercial space leadership. While government agencies can't close the deal for our companies selling satellites and space systems to foreign customers, they play a critical role in promoting and advocating for our commercial space companies. The Commerce Department's International Trade Administration can play a particularly important role in this regard.
The Commerce Department along with the State Department can also have a role in educating and training U.S. space industrial base suppliers and their customers on space export control reform changes. We want our companies to know with confidence that when they are ready to sell a product abroad, there will be no yellow or red lights around the bend.
This is a good place to wrap up with one final thought. I recognize that taken individually, all of these recommendations seem undramatic. To an extent they are. But commercial space success is not defined by dramatic major events like planting a flag on the moon. Commercial success is more like baseball – a game where home runs get attention, but teams that win consistently do it with singles, doubles and good fielding. For too long, our nation has acted as if commercial space was a "nice to do" activity in addition to bold civil and military space programs. In this century, the biggest space opportunity for our nation may be commercial – and, as demonstrated by the International Space Station program – these commercial systems may also enable the government to do more with fewer expenditures.
Clearly, expanded commercial space activities are good for the bottom lines of the many great companies that attend this important symposium. But to the extent we have higher aspirations, including seeing astronauts conducting exploratory missions on Mars as soon as two decades from now, we need to propel our industry forward to that goal.
As much as government space programs fueled our early space achievements—with strong industry support—we're going to be counting on the commercial space sector to help pave our way to the red planet and beyond. The strategy I've outlined today will strengthen the entire space industrial base, and hasten the day when we watch this long-held ambition of the space community come to pass.
I thank you for your attention and for your support of the dedicated men and women who work for America's aerospace industry. It is a privilege to be with you today.
Aeronautics – the science of flight – is a cornerstone of economic prosperity and is critical to maintaining our national security and defense. Today's aviation industry owes its successes to U.S.-led research and development efforts to improve safety, reliability, and efficiency of air travel. U.S. leadership in aerospace – specifically in aeronautics – has established the United States as the destination for students from around the world who seek to learn from the world's leading authorities in this field. The failure to make long-term investments in aeronautics R&D could eventually lead to the loss of our preeminence in aviation and significant detrimental impacts to our economy, workforce, and educational system.
Today's world is complex, dynamic and uncertain. In this environment, AIA is pleased to offer a forum May 2-5, 2016, focused on the implementation of effective product support initiatives.
There's been a lot of talk on the campaign trail about how to grow the economy, and help create good middle class jobs. One essential step that will help unleash the potential of American companies and workers is to expand markets by selling our products abroad, where 70 percent of the world's purchasing power is located.
The Aerospace States Association and the Aerospace Industries Association have signed a historic agreement to grow high paying jobs, increase economic development and inspire America's youth to join the aerospace workforce of the future.
Arlington, Va. — The Aerospace States Association (ASA) an association of state Lt. Governors and the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) representing aerospace manufacturers have signed a historic agreement to grow high paying jobs, increase economic development and inspire America's youth to join the aerospace workforce of the future.
ASA Chair, Alabama Lt. Governor Kay Ivey said "America's aerospace industry is our nation's and our states' lifeblood. It provides for national security, provides transportation for our economy, and provides the ability to explore space, the next frontier. The aerospace industry grows our state economies, employs more than one million high-paying jobs, and is a source of innovation and inspiration for our youth to enter our STEM workforce."
"Our agreement with ASA complements AIA's efforts at the national level and helps us expand our reach into individual states and regions," said AIA President and CEO David F. Melcher. "We look forward to working with state elected officials and listening to their concerns to ensure we have the infrastructure and political support needed to grow our industry. We have had engagements with state officials through our workforce education summits and at international airshows; working with ASA allows us to broaden our efforts and increase our visibility with all of ASA's members."
What a collaboration between AIA and ASA will do for American aerospace and defense:
AIA and ASA will be collaborating closely at events like AIA's Supplier Management Council meetings in Cincinnati, Fort Worth and Tucson later this year, as well as ASA State chapter events. These meetings will provide opportunities for industry and state and regional officials to interact and better understand how to support each other's activities to our mutual benefit. In addition, AIA's Team American Rocketry Challenge and ASA's Real World Design Challenge programs are collaborating to promote and provide resources for the events this year and find ways to further the collaboration in the future.
Team America Rocketry Challenge inspires students through hands-on aerospace engineering
Arlington, Va. - Nearly 5,000 students across the country are gearing up for the Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC), the world's largest rocketry competition. 789 teams of secondary school students from all backgrounds are vying for 100 coveted spots in the TARC national finals held on Saturday, May 14, outside of Washington, D.C.
"Over its 13-year history, TARC has emerged as one of the aerospace industry's premier youth outreach and education programs," said AIA President and CEO, David F. Melcher. "We believe the skills students discover and build while participating in this program will propel them to pursue education and careers in STEM fields, specifically in the aerospace industry."
To encourage ingenuity, every year participants are tasked with new and different design and flight parameters that are structured to emulate the aerospace industry's design, engineering, and testing processes. This year, teams must place eggs perpendicularly to each other in the body of the rocket, requiring a wider rocket body and innovative egg protection solutions. The rocket must fly to 850 feet and return to Earth safely with its payload intact. The entire flight must last between 44 and 46 seconds.
The competition's scoring parameters reflect its difficulty, with points given as deductions from the perfect flight. Rockets that fly exactly to the requirements receive perfect scores of zero. However, even a perfect flight is automatically disqualified if one of its egg payloads is cracked upon landing.
Sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), the National Association of Rocketry and more than 20 industry partners, the contest aims to increase student engagement with STEM. This year's competition has attracted an especially diverse array of participants, including 43 all-girl teams, several teams who are using 3D printers to fabricate their rockets and a team of varsity athletes. The groups span the country, representing Alaska, the U.S. Virgin Islands and one school from Wisconsin where the team baked and sold 9,000 muffins to fund their rocketry program.
The nation's top 100 teams will compete at the TARC National Finals for prizes and scholarships totaling more than $100,000. The winning team will travel to the Farnborough International Air Show in London, courtesy of the Raytheon Company, to compete in the International Rocketry Challenge with teams from France, the United Kingdom and Japan.
For more information about the Team America Rocketry Challenge, please visit www.rocketcontest.org. TARC is made possible by the generous support of our industry sponsors listed below. If you represent a company or organization interested in becoming a TARC sponsor or partner, please contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Diamond Sponsor: The Raytheon Company
Platinum Sponsors: Lockheed Martin Corporation, Thales USA, Inc.
Gold Sponsors: The Boeing Company, Elbit Systems of America
Silver Sponsors: Accenture, Aurora Flight Sciences, Click Bond, Inc., Computer Sciences Corporation, Cubic Corporation, Embraer Aircraft Holding, Inc., General Electric Aviation, Harris Corporation, Honeywell Aerospace, Iron Mountain, Kaman Aerospace Corporation, L3 Communications Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Pratt & Whitney, Rockwell Collins, Rolls Royce North America, Inc., Woodward Inc.
Remarks by David F. Melcher, President & CEO Aerospace Industries Association
Administrator Bolden, Associate Administrator Shin, thank you for the opportunity to be here today and good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. As the representative of the Aerospace Industries Association, founded in 1919 by aviation pioneers Orville Wright and Glenn Curtiss, I'm delighted to join you in applauding NASA's new ten year plan to significantly boost national investments in cutting edge aeronautics research. As the Administrator just said, this is a big deal!
Make no mistake about it. When it comes to examples of public investments that set the gold standard for performance and public benefit, NASA's aeronautics research tops the list.
It makes tremendous sense to continue making smart strategic investments through NASA in aviation safety and mobility, energy efficiency and advanced propulsion system transformation. This budget and the actions NASA will take in support of it will make our country better. We have a tremendous aviation infrastructure today, but demand for aviation services continues to grow. One estimate out there states there will be a near doubling of air passengers between now and 2034, from 3.2 billion passengers to 7 billion worldwide. We need to use NASA, as we have throughout the first century of flight and beyond, not only to push the envelope, but also to keep American industry at the forefront of aeronautics technology development.
Indeed, throughout NASA's history, and that of its predecessor organization founded 101 years ago—the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics—the government has performed a vital role in advancing progress on complex aeronautics issues. Issues such as wind shear, icing, adding electronic controls to cockpits, and bringing unmanned aircraft systems into the airspace. You name it, NASA was and is at the forefront of thinking of better ways to conquer the most problematic issues of flight.
This research, done with active support and financial commitment from industry, has benefitted the entire aviation community and the flying public, all the people we see nearby us getting ready to board their flights here at Reagan National today.
Through NASA's exciting "New Aviation Horizons," initiative, the agency that pioneered hypersonic flight will help us aim at revolutionary, not evolutionary, changes in the way that people fly around the world. One of our association's great member companies, Boeing, has a terrific advertisement playing in its centennial year that envisions passengers in the year 2116 circumnavigating the globe in two hours. With a strong commitment to this research going forward, I think it's only a question of how soon, rather than if, this bold vision will be achieved. I would also add my congratulations to Lockheed Martin and GE Aviation for the contract announcement unveiled in the Administrator's remarks, to do all this with less sonic booms!
NASA's 10-year American Aviation Plan will build upon the great work Administrator Bolden and Associate Administrator Shin have done in focusing the agency's research on projects that ensure we maintain U.S. aerospace leadership and will create new opportunities in aviation. Rest assured, our aircraft manufacturers understand and will support these research thrusts, thus giving them additional momentum.
In closing, I'd like to point out the larger purpose for which we gather. Budgets are the fine print of our daily lives that turn the dreams of a better world tomorrow into reality. Our shared dream is to help create a world that is more prosperous and peaceful, where people-to-people interchange across continents is more common place. And this fine print, once put into operation in the skies above, will help get us there. Mr. Administrator, thank you again for the tremendous opportunity to be here today to add industry's support to this visionary effort.
Deals with NASA/NOAA budgets, the annual Rockets on the Hill reception, issues associated with military space launch capabilities and coordinating AIA member lobbying efforts. This team also coordinates educational briefings on Capitol Hill. AIA contact: Kristen Moore, Director, Legislative Affairs.
Explores issues associated with trade, including Export Import Bank financing, foreign military sales, trade agreements such as the Trans Pacific Partnership and national export strategies in order to achieve a level playing field for the aerospace and defense industry. AIA contact: Kathryn Verona, Director, Legislative Affairs.
Responsible for monitoring legislative activity impacting the commercial and general aviation industries and coordinating lobbying and advocacy efforts with members and oversight committees responsible for the civil aviation sector. Deals particularly with FAA budgets and challenges facing the civil aviation industry, including implementation of NextGen airspace modernization, new equipment certification and UAS integration. AIA contact: Rich Efford, Assistant Vice President, Legislative Affairs.
Responsible for monitoring and addressing procurement and defense-related legislative issues, advising the NSP division and others on developments in defense budget, and procurement-related legislation, and coordinating procurement-related legislative policy positions among member companies. AIA contact: Rich Efford, Assistant Vice President, Legislative Affairs.
The SMC Regulatory & Compliance committee is responsible for addressing key issues in the A&D supply chain to increase the operational and regulatory efficiency between the primes/OEMs and suppliers. This committee is also an information sharing and learning environment where companies can leverage best practices and obtain working knowledge of requirements that flow through the A&D supply chain. AIA contact: Dan Olmes, Director, Supplier Management Council & Membership.
The SMC Planning & Outreach committee is responsible for making recommendations for future SMC conferences (e.g. speakers, panels, breakout sessions, hosts, etc.), member engagement, and new member outreach and strategy. This committee will be the "voice of the SMC" and will act as a conduit between the SMC membership and the SMC ExCom and AIA. This committee will also support AIA's legislative team in developing and implementing local and national advocacy programs/initiatives for SMC. AIA contact: Dan Olmes, Director, Supplier Management Council & Membership.
The AIA Standards Governance Board (SGB) is chartered to provide oversight and management of the AIA Standards Program. The SGB has three primary roles in managing the standards program of AIA: 1) development of strategies to enable the AIA standards program to respond to the standardization needs of the aerospace industry, 2) oversight and management of the health and performance of the AIA standards activities, and 3) responding to direction from the AIA Board of Governors and the AIA Technical Operations Council, and input from other AIA entities in areas dealing with standards or standards-related products and services. AIA contact: Chris Carnahan, Director, Standardization.
The principal objective of the BTIC is to ensure the availability of the necessary standards to enhance interoperability and reduce the cost and complexity of applying business technology throughout the aerospace industry and its customers. The BTIC shall be responsible for the identification, development (when necessary), maintenance, and promotion of suitable open international, national or industry interoperability standards and supporting guidelines, and developing recommendations to promote their adoption, under the direction and approval of the BTC and SMC. The BTIC shall also maintain contact with other AIA councils, committees, working groups, and outside agencies, as appropriate, and carry on such other activities as may be required on subjects of a broad policy nature within the BTIC's area of responsibility. AIA contact: AIA contact: Rusty Rentsch, Assistant Vice President, Technical Operations & Workforce.
Responsible for establishing industry-wide near-term and long-range cyber security planning and policy to meet information protection requirements. Committee member profile includes cyber security executives. AIA contact: Jason Timm, Director, Defense Policy.
Responsible for defense policy, budget, resources, and strategy. Council member profile includes senior Washington Operations representatives, strategy/policy and communications executives. AIA contact: John Luddy, Vice President, National Security Policy.
Formerly known as the Procurement Techniques Committee, the CMC is responsible for providing in-depth analysis on impact to industry stemming from proposed FAR/DFARS rules changes, legislative proposals and government internally issued guidance, instructions and policies. AIA contact: Ronald J. Youngs, Assistant Vice President, Acquisition Policy.
Formerly known as the Procurement and Finance Executive Committee, the APC is the leadership entity responsible for implementation of acquisition related goals stemming from the AIA strategic plan. The Council is comprised of the senior corporate contracts Vice Presidents of the major Executive Committee companies and is the primary coordination point for initial input development of acquisition topics for executive-level meetings with DOD. AIA contact: Ronald J. Youngs, Assistant Vice President, Acquisition Policy.
Responsible for developing and promoting adoption of regulatory, policy, and advocacy recommendations to the U.S. government and Congress in support of a 21st Century Space Trade Strategy. AIA contact: Dak Hardwick, Assistant Vice President for International Affairs.
Lisa Felipe is Manager of Corporate Events and Membership at Aerospace Industries Association. She has over ten years of experience working in the event industry, specializing in logistical coordination and talent management. As a member of the Corporate Events team, she is involved in the planning, logistics, and execution of AIA meetings and events and collaborates with other internal departments to ensure that every event is a success.
Prior to joining AIA, Lisa worked at Leading Authorities Inc., a prominent speakers bureau, where she worked closely with association and corporate clients to create high-impact meetings and events. As an event manager, she was responsible for providing end-to-end logistical coordination for speaking engagements with renowned speakers in politics, business, media and everyday life.
Lisa received a bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from New York University.
Civil Aviation Leadership Council (CALC) is responsible for providing CEO-level guidance to AIAs Executive Committee and strategic direction to AIAs Civil Aviation Committee on common, noncompetitive civil aviation matters, both domestic and international. The Council provides broad policy guidance and direction to AIA plans and actions designed to grow and protect the civil aviation manufacturing industry and to ensure access to a fair and open international market for U.S. aviation products. AIA contact: Ali Bahrami, Vice President, Civil Aviation.
Job Description:
AIA's space systems division is looking for a motivated and dynamic intern to assist in the formation of space advocacy products such as:
This is a great opportunity to witness and inform government leaders engaged in the formulation of space policies and budgets, while gaining an industry-wide perspective on space programs and activities.
The space intern will assist the division in advancing AIA's strategic space advocacy goals by conducting research, writing reports, and recording notes on space-related hearings and events.
The ideal candidate will possess the following:
About AIA:
The Aerospace Industries Association, founded in 1919 only a few years after the birth of flight, is the premier trade association representing the nation's major aerospace and defense manufacturers.
Today, more than 300 major aerospace and defense companies and their suppliers are members of the association, embodying every high-technology manufacturing segment of the U.S. aerospace and defense industry from commercial aviation and avionics, to manned and unmanned defense systems, to space technologies and satellite communications.
About AIA's Space Division:
Members of AIA's Space Council make the spacecraft, launch vehicles, sensors, and ground support systems employed by NASA, NOAA, the Department of Defense, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), and other civil, military and intelligence space organizations.
To Apply:
Please submit your resume to Ashley Bander, Director, Space Systems. Additional information on AIA internships can be found here.
AIA is making a big splash at the Singapore Airshow this week. The push is all about international trade with our close friends and allies in the Asia Pacific Region and supporting the ratification and implementation of the Trans Pacific Partnership.
Singapore — The Aerospace Industries Association participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony for the U.S. International Pavilion at the Singapore Airshow today as a symbolic gesture signifying the commitment of the U.S. Aerospace and Defense industry to increasing international trade and partnerships with America's friends and allies in the Asia-Pacific region.
"Here at the Singapore Airshow, we are working with our foreign partners and allies to strengthen freedom's cause and enhance the relationships that makes our world more prosperous, innovative and secure," said AIA's Chief Operating Officer Bob Durbin. "National economies throughout the Pacific, including the United States, will be given an additional boost with the ratification of the Trans Pacific Partnership, which will increase international trade here substantially, benefitting consumers and workers alike."
The signatory countries of the Trans-Pacific Partnership – a trade pact for the 21st Century – represent the destination and source of nearly 40 percent of U.S. exports and imports. The U.S. Aerospace and Defense industry stands to benefit as increased international trade and travel leads directly to increased demand for our industry's products and services.
"Increasing global competition for market share forces American exporters and our government partners to be forward leaning, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region," Durbin added. "It's important that we use every tool at our disposal to enhance trade and promote closer ties with our friends and allies around the world. Our industry looks forward to facilitating broader trade to the substantial benefit of all sectors of the U.S. economy."
Trade in the Pacific region is particularly important to the U.S. Aerospace and Defense industry, as demonstrated by the commitment of companies to participating in the upcoming Singapore Airshow. According to U.S. International Pavilion organizer Kallman Worldwide, Inc., more than 140 American companies are exhibiting at Singapore, ranging from publicly traded stalwarts to privately held small and medium enterprises. On Monday, February 15, AIA and Kallman Worldwide signed a Memorandum of Agreement to develop greater collaboration to extend American global leadership in aerospace and defense.
SINGAPORE — Against the backdrop of a newly forged regional trade policy, expanding Pacific defense and security relationships, and the 50th anniversary this year of formalized diplomatic relations between the United States and Singapore, American government officials and business executives meeting before the start of the biennial airshow here expressed their shared commitment to promote a level playing field for greater U.S. aerospace and defense industry investment in the Asia-Pacific region.
The biennial Singapore Airshow, Asia's largest, opens Tuesday, February 16, at the Changi Exhibition Centre. The United States will be the show's largest international exhibitor, with more than 140 exhibitors and nearly 30 percent of the show's total 40,000 sqm of indoor exhibit space.
In a pre-show briefing held in the operations center that will support the presence of American military aircraft on display during the show — including the F-16, KC-130J, P-8 and MV-22 — U.S. Ambassador Kirk Wagar, Defense Security Cooperation Agency Director, V. Adm. Joseph Rixey, USN, and U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Analysis, Marcus Jadotte, presented a cross-section of U.S. diplomatic, defense and commercial interests in the region, and discussed the implications for U.S. industry at the Singapore Airshow.
Coming on the heels of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the 12-nation Pacific Rim pact signed this past October, their message emphasized opportunities to strengthen relationships, grow exports, improve competitiveness and — by their active participation in the event — demonstrate America's commitment to invest in the region.
"I am pleased to lead the International Trade Administration delegation to the Singapore Airshow. The airshow provides an unmatched opportunity to form partnerships between U.S. companies and governments across the dynamic Asia-Pacific region," said Marcus Jadotte, Assistant Secretary of Commerce at the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration (ITA). "Once enacted, the Trans-Pacific Partnership will lead to an overall increase in economic activity and trade for this region, which will increase demand for aviation products. Singapore is consistently a top market for U.S. aerospace parts, averaging more than $5.7 billion in parts imports from the United States between 2005 and 2014."
In recognition of the critical opportunity international airshows represent to support America's national objectives in trade, international partnerships and security cooperation, today the Aerospace Industries Association and Kallman Worldwide signed a Memorandum of Agreement to enhance coordination and cooperation between U.S. industry and government and to strengthen America's global aerospace and defense competitiveness.
"This event marks a continuation of AIA's efforts to productively work in public-private partnerships with the U.S. government and with groups like Kallman Worldwide to expand our industry's ability to promote economic growth, technological innovation and our nation's long-term security interests," said AIA Chief Operating Officer LTG (Ret.) Robert E. Durbin. "We're proud to enter into this agreement and firmly believe it will help us as we build the cooperative ties that are so important to the peace, stability, and prosperity of this region."
AIA and Kallman agreed to work together to enhance access and opportunity for small and medium-sized U.S. aerospace and defense companies, encourage greater business-to-business engagement among the companies and their global customers and suppliers, elevate the conversation between U.S. industry and government to strengthen America's global aerospace and defense competitiveness, and unite U.S. industry to extend America's global leadership in aerospace and defense.
"As the designated U.S. Representative and organizer of the U.S. presence at the Singapore Airshow since 2008, Kallman Worldwide has a unique privilege to help U.S. aerospace and defense suppliers develop market opportunities and business relationships," said company President and CEO, Tom Kallman. "We're proud to sign this MoA and expand the scope of our longstanding airshow relationship with AIA to better serve the year-round, worldwide interests of America's aerospace and defense companies."
About ITA
The International Trade Administration (ITA) is the premier resource for American companies competing in the global marketplace. ITA has 2,200 employees assisting U.S. exporters in more than 100 U.S. cities and 75 markets worldwide. For more information on ITA, visit www.trade.gov.
About AIA
Founded in 1919 shortly after the birth of flight, the Aerospace Industries Association is the most authoritative and influential trade association representing the nation's leading manufacturers and suppliers of civil, military and business aircraft, helicopters, unmanned aircraft systems, space systems, aircraft engines, homeland and cybersecurity systems, materiel and related components, equipment services and information technology.
About Kallman Worldwide, Inc.
Export with purpose. Exhibit with confidence. Kallman Worldwide is an export marketing advocate focused on helping the United States of America and its leading businesses capitalize on international trade shows and events to grow their share of global markets. Our flagship U.S. International Pavilion programs cover all the details of creating and presenting a professional business environment to buyers, enabling exhibitors, clients and partners to make the most of their event opportunities, cultivate meaningful global business relationships and account for a measurable return on their export marketing investment.
Since 1963, Kallman has helped more than 10,000 companies, associations and government agencies stand out at nearly 1,000 industry and professional events in 46 countries. For more information visit www.kallman.com
Arlington, Va. — AIA believes that the President's Fiscal Year 2017 budget request does not provide the funding we need to ensure safe air transportation, make America more secure, promote space exploration, and ensure a vibrant and innovative industrial base. If this budget is adopted, we will fail to address the serious mismatch between our resources and the new threats and challenges our nation faces today.
With respect to national security, we must respond to the rise of ISIS terrorism, Russian aggression on NATO's doorstep, provocative moves by Iran and North Korea and an increasingly powerful China. Similarly, we must address the challenges of a very busy national airspace system that will become even more crowded as more and more Unmanned Aircraft Systems enter our skies. Critical investments are needed to avoid continued U.S. reliance on Russian transportation to the International Space Station and a potential gap in essential satellite weather forecasting capabilities.
The Administration has proposed a budget for Fiscal Year 2017 that AIA believes is insufficient to adequately address national priorities in the following areas:
Federal budgets are decisions by elected officials to ensure that adequate resources are applied to our nation's pressing priorities. This budget request does not meet that requirement. As the voice of the American aerospace and defense industry, we call on Congress and the Administration to work together to produce a robust, balanced and stable budget that promotes economic growth, supports our national security and allows for a healthy, efficient and innovative industrial base.
Arlington, Va. — The Aerospace Industries Association welcomes the ambitious new CO2 emissions standard for commercial airplanes proposed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection February 8, 2016, in Montreal, Canada. The agreement on the ICAO "CO2 Standard" is the result of work by a task force of experts from governments and observers and will be endorsed by the ICAO Council later this year.
"This is a historic accomplishment resulting from six years of committed effort by manufacturers, operators, governments and non-governmental organizations across the globe," said AIA President and CEO David F. Melcher. "This agreement will further solidify our strong record of fuel efficiency and focus on the environment and we urge full adoption by the U.S. government."
"The goal of this certification standard is to reduce CO2 emissions from aviation by encouraging the integration of fuel efficient technologies into aircraft design and development, and is part of a broader set of actions aimed at tackling aviation's climate change impact," said AIA Director of Environmental Policy Leslie Riegle. "This includes improvements in flight operations, deployment of biofuels and the reduction of noise and other emissions, together with the development of a global market-based measure for aviation to be agreed at the ICAO General Assembly in October 2016."
The new standard will apply to all new civil aircraft designs launched after 2020, with a three-year delay for aircraft with fewer than 20 seats; and to in-production aircraft from 2023 onwards. There would be a production cut-off for noncompliant aircraft in 2028. The agreement guarantees that manufacturers will continue to design and develop aircraft that will meet this ambitious standard in the future.
"This builds on aviation's long and consistent track record of continuous improvements in fuel efficiency," Melcher said. "For example, today's aircraft are more than 70 percent more efficient than the industry's first commercial jets."
After final agreement at the ICAO Council meeting in fall of 2016, the U.S. government will have to finalize its rulemaking on these emissions. The agreement at ICAO should be adopted in its entirety by the United States in order to avoid introducing market distortions across the global industry.
New aircraft technologies are one important pillar of an assortment of measures that the aerospace industry and governments are using to reduce aviation CO2 emissions. This agreement will support ongoing industry commitments including a 1.5 percent annual fleet fuel efficiency improvement, carbon neutral growth from 2020 and halving CO2 emissions relative to 2005 by 2050.
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The International Coordinating Council of Aerospace Industries Association (ICCAIA) welcomes the new ambitious CO2 emissions standard for commercial airplanes proposed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) on the 8th February 2016 in Montreal, Canada.
The International Coordinating Council of Aerospace Industries Association (ICCAIA) welcomes the new ambitious CO2 emissions standard for commercial airplanes proposed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) on the 8th February 2016 in Montreal, Canada. The agreement on the ICAO "CO2 Standard" is the result of work by a task force of experts from governments and observers and will be endorsed by the ICAO Council later this year.
The aim of this certification standard is to reduce CO2 emissions from aviation by encouraging the integration of fuel efficient technologies into aircraft design and development, and is part of a broader set of actions aimed at tackling aviation's climate change impact. This includes improvements in flight operations, deployment of biofuels and the reduction of noise and other emissions, together with the development of a global market based measure for aviation to be agreed at the ICAO General Assembly in October 2016.
"This is a significant step for the global aviation community and our collective climate responsibility," said International Coordinating Council of Aerospace Industries Associations Chairman David F. Melcher. "This also is certainly the right thing to do for our industry, our customers and the global community."
The agreement marks more than six years of committed and intense effort by our international community. The new standard will apply to all new civil aircraft designs launched after 2020, with a three-year delay for aircraft with fewer than 20 seats, and to in-production aircraft from 2023 onwards. The agreement guarantees that manufacturers will continue to design and develop aircraft that will meet this ambitious standard in the future.
"This builds on aviation's long and consistent track record of continuous improvements in fuel efficiency. For example, today's aircraft are more than 70 percent more efficient than the industry's first commercial jets." continued Melcher.
New aircraft technologies are one important pillar of a basket of measures that the aerospace industry and governments are using to reduce aviation CO2 emissions. This agreement will support ongoing industry commitments: including a 1.5 percent annual fleet fuel efficiency improvement, carbon neutral growth from 2020, halving CO2 emissions by 2050 relative to 2005.