[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 150 (Tuesday, November 19, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11552-S11553]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
U.S. LEADERSHIP IN AEROSPACE--TODAY AND TOMORROW
Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise to discuss a core factor in
America's leadership and strength in the new century: aerospace. The
aerospace industry dominates the telecommunication and transportation
world, while military aerospace expertise has defended the Nation and
served as the eyes and ears of our forces overseas.
Congress established an Aerospace Commission last year to study the
state of the American aerospace industry in the global economy and
national security and to assess the importance of the domestic
aerospace industry for the future security of the Nation. It is
appropriate that the Aerospace Commission released its report on the
future of the aerospace industry this Monday during the final debate on
homeland security, an area only beginning to appreciate what aerospace
can offer.
The Aerospace Commission reviewed the range of military, civil, and
commercial aspects of aviation and space and studied the key components
of the aerospace community--government, industry, labor, and academia.
The Commission benefited from the broad range of expertise and
experience among its Commissioners, including former Astronaut Buzz
Aldrin, former Defense Under Secretary John Hamre, and Director of the
Hayden Planetarium Dr. Neil Tyson.
The Commission offered several recommendations to correct the
weakening of the aerospace sector. Each recommendation addressed a
different critical factor that is showing signs of fatigue. I would
like to discuss the Commission's recommendations relating to the
aerospace workforce and education.
The aerospace industry, like many of our high-tech sectors, has a
workforce crisis. According to the Commission report, our Nation has
lost over 600,000 scientific and technical aerospace jobs in the past
13 years. These job losses, first due to reduced spending in defense,
then due to acquisitions and mergers of aerospace companies, and later
to foreign competition in the commercial aerospace market, represent a
significant loss of skill and expertise. Many of the talented people
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who remain are approaching retirement. How will industry and the
Government restore the aerospace workforce and make aerospace a field
that attracts new and qualified talent?
Unfortunately, even the Aerospace Commission could not arrive at any
short-term solutions to this problem. The solution will only come from
the Government's and the private sector's long-term attention and
commitment. The Commission stressed that a long-term solution must
begin with improved math and science education across the entire
education range, from kindergarten to graduate school. Many of the
Commission's recommendations in this regard mirror my own work on
science and math education and the federal workforce. The Commission
found that scholarship and internship programs to encourage more
students to study and work in math, science, and engineering are vital
if the aerospace community is to have a pool of scientifically and
technologically trained applicants.
The Commission stressed that Congress needs to renew its focus on
national aerospace needs and priorities. Indeed, some of the
Commission's recommendations are unconventional and will require the
Senate's attention and deliberation to determine if they are the best
solution. The Commission's nine recommendations were:
Given the real and evolving challenges that confront our
Nation, Government must commit to increased and sustained
investment and must facilitate private investment in the
national aerospace sector. The Commission recommends that the
United States pioneer new frontiers in aerospace technology,
commerce, and exploration.
The Commission concludes that superior mobility afforded by
air transportation is a huge national asset and competitive
advantage for the United States. The Commission recommends
transforming the U.S. air transportation system as a national
priority. Specifically, the Commission recommends rapid
deployment of a new, highly automated air traffic management
system that is robust enough to efficiently, safely, and
securely accommodate an evolving variety and growing number
of aerospace vehicles and civil and military operations.
The Commission concludes that the Nation will have to be a
space-faring nation in order to be the global leader in the
21st century and that America must exploit and explore space
to assure national security, economic benefit, and scientific
discovery. The Commission recommends that the United States
create a space imperative and a partnership between NASA,
DOD, and industry to develop aerospace technologies,
especially in the areas of propulsion and power.
The Commission concludes that aerospace capabilities and
the supporting defense industrial base are fundamental to
U.S. economic and national security. The Commission
recommends that the Nation adopt a policy that invigorates
and sustains the aerospace industrial base. Specifically, the
Commission recommends new procurement policies to include
prototyping and spiral development to allow the continuous
exercise of design and production skills; removing barriers
to defense procurement of commercial products and services;
and stable funding for core capabilities.
The Commission concludes that the Government needs to
create an environment that fosters innovation in the U.S.
aerospace industry. The Commission recommends that the
Federal Government establish a national aerospace policy and
promote aerospace by creating a Government-wide management
structure. This would include a White House policy
coordinating council, and aerospace management office in OMB,
and a joint committee in Congress.
The Commission concludes that U.S. aerospace companies must
have access to global consumers, suppliers, and partners in
order to achieve economies of scale in production needed to
integrate that technology into their products and services.
The Commission recommends that U.S. and multilateral
regulations and policies be reformed to enable the movement
of products and capital across international borders on a
fully competitive basis, and establish a level playing field
for U.S. industry in the global market place. This would
include substantial overhaul of U.S. export control
regulation and efforts by the U.S. Government to neutralize
foreign government market intervention in areas such as
subsidies, tax policy, export financing and standards.
The Commission recommends a new business model for the
aerospace sector, designed to promote a healthy and growing
U.S. aerospace industry. This model is driven by increased
and sustained Government investment and the adoption of
innovative Government and industry policies that stimulate
the flow of capital into new and established public and
private companies.
The Commission recommends the Nation immediately reverse
the decline in, and promote the growth of, a scientifically
and technologically trained U.S. aerospace workforce. This
would include efforts by the administration and Congress to
create an interagency task force that develops a national
strategy on the aerospace workforce to attract public
attention to the importance and opportunities within the
aerospace industry; establish lifelong learning as key
elements of education reform; and make long-term investment
in education and training with major emphasis in math and
science.
The Commission concludes that Government policies must be
proactive and sustain public investments in long-term
research and RDT&E infrastructure to get new breakthroughs in
aerospace capabilities. The Commission recommends that the
Federal Government significantly increase its investment in
basic aerospace research, which enhances U.S. national
security, enables breakthrough capabilities, and fosters an
efficient, secure, and safe aerospace transportation system.
I was one of the first members of the House Space Caucus and
understand the importance aerospace plays in our economy, security, and
education. The Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on International
Security, Proliferation, and Federal Services, which I chair, released
a report last year detailing how Federal civilian agencies use data
collected by satellites and planes to carry out their missions. My own
State of Hawaii is at the forefront of using aerospace technology and
research to help Hawaii's fragile ecosystem and agriculture.
I hope that my colleagues will take note of the information and
recommendations in the Aerospace Commission report so that we can work
together to sustain and strengthen our aerospace community. To quote
the report, ``It is imperative that the U.S. aerospace industry remains
healthy to preserve the balance of our leadership today and ensure our
continued leadership tomorrow.''
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