Arlington, Va. (October 31, 2023) – Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) President and CEO Eric Fanning today released the following statement after Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee on the Administration’s national security supplemental request:
“Industry’s role is to support the U.S. government’s national security strategy, and today we heard Secretaries Austin and Blinken make the case before the Senate Appropriations Committee about what their strategy is when it comes to Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific. It’s clear they intend the defense industrial base to play a significant part in this effort.
“We are at a decisive moment for our country broadly, and our industry in particular. The Administration’s supplemental request would provide a much-needed injection to build capacity, refill our stockpiles, and strengthen deterrence. But stable, predictable funding over the long term is even more important to ensure that industry can meet this moment. AIA urges Congress to commit to a defense topline that matches resources to strategy and supports the defense industrial base as a strategic asset.”
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