MORE ECONOMIC HEADWINDS, WITH FOREIGN-POLICY IMPLICATIONS – AT 8:39 A.M. ET:  In his farewell address to the nation, Dwight D. Eisenhower famously warned about the "industrial-military complex."  His statement, as we've noted here before, has usually been taken out of context.  He was actually speaking about the need for an industrial-military complex, but cautioned that it had dangers.

Well, unless you believe in the rantings of the fringe left, the industrial-military complex hasn't taken over America.  But the complex is in danger of being weakened, which means a weakened America and an America less prepared for current and future dangers.  From WaPo: 

A job with a defense contractor was once a prized — and stable — position in the Washington region.

But top Pentagon officials have called on defense contractors to trim their costs and have made cuts to some large programs. The push for efficiency has rippled through the defense industry, prompting some firms to cut back their workforce and generating concerns that some of the industry’s most skilled employees and prospects will reconsider their career options.

Loss of those skills can create a defense tragedy down the line.  It is a myth that those industrial skills are automatically passed on from generation to generation. 

“The apprehension in the sector is generalized right now — nobody really feels like they’re safe,” said Loren Thompson, a defense industry consultant at the Lexington Institute. “As a consequence, people across the industry are examining their options and considering what they might do instead of their current jobs.”

Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin last week announced “voluntary layoffs,” offering severance packages to 6,500 employees, about 2,000 of whom are based in the Washington region. That followed more cuts last month when the defense giant announced it would lay off about 1,500 employees in its aeronautics business and 1,200 in its space systems business. This year, Falls Church-based General Dynamics said it would lay off 112 employees, or about one-third of its Woodbridge workforce, after a Marine Corps vehicle program was canceled.

And...

At the same time that some firms are cutting back, the industry overall continues to struggle to attract enough highly skilled workers with security clearances. Engineers, scientists and software designers exiting college may choose to avoid a career in the defense industry as the sector continues to cut back, said Marion C. Blakey, president and chief executive of the Aerospace Industries Association, an industry group.

“If you begin to see young talent with technical degrees going elsewhere, it’s a genuine problem for our country from a national security standpoint and an economic standpoint,” she said.

COMMENT:  For many decades the United States, more than any other nation, learned well the lessons of World War II, and our unpreparedness for that conflict.  Now, as memories fade and the World War II generation disappears, we are forgetting.  My fear is that we will be reminded, and that it will be a most unpleasant reminder.

July 26, 2011