[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

[[Page S11553]]

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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