Toolkit

 

Index:

Materials for Members

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Additional resources for local and state activity are available to company representatives. Please contact Adam Kostecki by email at adam.kostecki@aia-aerospace.org or by phone at (703) 358-1015 for access to that information.

 

Reports

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“The Economic Impact of Sequestration on Civil Space Programs”

by Aerospace Industries Association & Dr. Stephen Fuller, George Mason University 

December 2012

A study conducted by Dr. Stephen Fuller of George Mason University along with analysis from the Aerospace Industries Association on the impact sequestration has on NASA and NOAA programs. The study concludes that over 20,000 NASA contractor jobs and more than 2,500 NOAA weather satellite jobs are at risk.

“The Economic Impact of Sequestration on Small Business”

by Aerospace Industries Association & Dr. Stephen Fuller, George Mason University 

September 2012

A study conducted by Stephen Fuller of George Mason University along with analysis from the Aerospace Industries Association on the impact sequestration has small businesses. The study concludes that 956,181 small business jobs are at risk.

“Economic Impacts of FAA Budget Sequestration on the U.S. Economy”

by Econsult Corporation

August 2012

Study conducted by Econsult Corporation on the negative impacts sequestration will have on FAA operations and the Next Generation Air Transportation System. The forecasted losses in output to the U.S. economy would lead to 66,000 to 132,000 jobs lost annually.

“The Economic Impact of the Budget Control Act of 2011 on DOD and non-DOD Agencies”

by Dr. Stephen Fuller, George Mason University

July 2012

Study conducted by Stephen Fuller of George Mason University on the impact sequestration has on defense and other industries. As currently formulated, the automatic spending cuts affecting DOD and non-DOD agencies’ discretionary spending authorities beginning March 1, 2013 will cost the U.S. economy 2.14 million jobs. Additional Resources.

“The Aerospace and Defense Industry in the U.S.: A financial and economic impact study”

by Deloitte  

March 2012

Outlines the importance of the aerospace and defense industry to U.S. national and economic security with state-by-state information on revenues, employment, trade, taxes paid and other data points. Additional Resources.

Fact Slides for Deloitte Study
By Aerospace Industries Association

  

 

 

 

 

 

Quick Reference Materials

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Flyer — Downloadable:

A two-sided, color handout with key facts and information on the aerospace and defense industry, and the risks posed by budget sequestration.  Outlines sequestration’s impact on American jobs, the economy overall and local communities. The flyer details the total U.S. economic impact of budget sequestration, on Dept. of Defense and non-DoD agencies, with a total of 2.14 million jobs at risk, including jobs in the aerospace and defense industry.

 

Pocket Card — Downloadable:

Small card with information and data similar to that found on the flyer above — the value of the American aerospace and defense industry, and the risks posed by budget sequestration.   The card details the total U.S. economic impact of budget sequestration, on Dept. of Defense and non-DoD agencies, with a total of 2.14 million jobs at risk, including jobs in the aerospace and defense industry.

 

State Specific Impacts Flyers:  

A valuable tool for engaging local elected officials, this flyer details the impact of budget sequestration on specific battleground states.  These flyers are currently available for Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

 

“Stop Sequestration” Fact Sheet – Downloadable:

A two page fact sheet explaining sequestration and the impacts it will have on the aerospace and defense industry.  Plus a look at what the experts are saying on this issue. Outlines sequestration’s impact on American jobs, the economy overall and local communities.


 

 

Social Media

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Tweet your friends about sequestration:


 

 

 

Additional Resources

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Sequestration: The Effects on Aviation and Everyday Travel
By National Air Traffic Controllers Association
December 2012

Independent Report: “Indefensible: The Sequester’s Mechanics and Adverse Effects on National and Economic Security”
By Bipartisan Policy Center
June 2012

Economic Effects of Reducing the Fiscal Restraint That Is Scheduled to Occur in 2013
By Congressional Budget Office
May 2012

Press Release: New Report Expands on Vital Role of Aerospace and Defense Industry to U.S. Economy
By Aerospace Industries Association
March 2012

Letter to President Barack Obama
By AIA and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
March 2012

 

 

Meet with Your Senators and Representative and Their Staffs in Your Local Community or by Visiting Washington, D.C.

Meeting with your Senator or Congressman is among the most important steps you can take to make your voice heard on the budget debate.  As a constituent, a community leader, an employer, and an industry expert, you bring a perspective to the table that few other visitors to a member’s office can offer.

  • To schedule a meeting, call the district or DC office, explain who you are including your connection to the district, and ask for a brief meeting with your representative.
  • If they suggest you meet with staff, ask for the Chief of Staff and, at the meeting, make clear that you would still like to personally discuss the issues with your representative.
  • Be respectful of the representative and all staff you talk to or meet.  Try to be flexible regarding scheduling last minute changes, especially if the meeting is in DC where the congressional calendar is always in flux.
  • You should research your representative’s voting record and public statements on the issue.  Most of the relevant information is easy to search on www.thomas.gov.  If the member’s record is unfavorable, the meeting is still important and you should present your arguments.
  • The most important thing to bring to the meeting is your own set of experiences and views, and the information you have about the practical impact of the DC budget debate on people back home.  Be as concrete as possible.  Invite the member or staff to visit your facility and meet the workers whose jobs may be at stake.
  • Representatives will also be interested in the views of groups and political organizations, particularly those that have supported him or her in the past.  Information on views of the organizations like the local chamber of commerce or labor unions is important.

 

For more information or if you could use advice or help, contact any of the following:

Attend Town Halls or Similar Community Events

Members of Congress regularly appear at town halls and community events like picnics and July Fourth parades.  Sometimes these events provide a formal opportunity to ask questions; sometimes they allow informal conversation.

  • These events may be listed in local papers/event calendars and federal officials will often publicize them on their official or campaign web pages and through their twitter feeds.
  • Be prepared with a short description of your role in the community/your business, and a concrete question that will require a direct answer.  A specific question based on real proposals before Congress or the official’s past votes official is best.
  • Try to follow up, especially if the official has not directly addressed your concern, but be calm and respectful at all times.
  • Consider bringing your own camera to obtain a record of any exchange, although you should check and follow any rules established by event organizers.

 

For more information or if you could use advice or help, contact any of the following:

Hold Events at Your Facilities or In your Community

Bringing elected officials, community leaders, and the public to your facility helps them understand the importance of your work, the skill and dedication of your people, and the real world impact of a budget debate that can be very abstract.  If you invite elected officials, a visit like this will provide an extended opportunity for you and your team to share views on the issues.  Politicians often refer back to these visits during debate and campaign events down the road, which can keep your firm and the real stakes of the debate in the public eye.

  • Invite your elected officials to visit your facilities and meet your employees.
  • Hold a public event to celebrate a product roll out, thousandth item off the line, or any other production milestone.
  • Sponsor a school or summer camp visit to your facilities.
  • Hold a picnic or other open house for employees, their families, and members of the community.
  • You can also sponsor public events off site like community sports leagues and charitable fundraisers that bring large numbers of people together.

 

For more information or if you could use advice or help, contact any of the following:

Write your Elected Officials with examples

Member offices track the mail they receive to gauge public opinion and will usually  respond to constituents.  These responses can include important facts and information about your representative’s position and the kinds of arguments she or he cares most about.  A letter exchange can also lay the foundation for a personal meeting down the road.

  • A letter to your representative should describe your views and opinions, and include concrete facts about the impact on your community of the budget decisions being made in Washington.
  • The letter itself should not be longer than two or three pages, but you should feel free to attach relevant local press or opinion pieces or background information about your business or facilities.
  • Letters to Congress should be faxed as well as mailed, due to delays in paper mail delivery caused by security screening.  You can call the member’s office and ask if you can submit a constituent letter by e-mail.
  • If you do not hear back after several weeks, you should contact the office to ensure the letter was received and discuss it with staff.

 

For more information or if you could use advice or help, contact any of the following:

 

 

Example Letters to Elected Official

Dear Congressman,

I know that we are both concerned about the debt this country has run up in recent years, and I applaud your efforts to bring down spending and get our budget under control – especially the exploding entitlements that are going to crowd out every other priority before too long.

But too many of your colleagues seem to think we can avoid the tough choices needed to rein in the budget if we slash what they see as a “bloated” national security budget, sometimes calling for cuts of a trillion dollars or more.  I urge you to resist these reckless proposals and stand up for smart budget cuts that protect our national security and economic strength.

This is no time to be cutting defense. We still have troops in the field in Afghanistan and Iraq, and now we’ve added a new engagement in Libya. We have no higher obligation than ensuring the safety of our young volunteers serving in combat around the world.

Beyond that, as you know, current defense spending levels are at the low end of the historical range.  The defense budget is less than 5% of GDP right now, the lowest wartime percentage ever and much less than modern average of 5.3%.  In recent decades, defense has consumed as much as 40% of the budget; now it is around 16%.  Under Secretary Gates, we’ve already had almost $200 billion in defense reductions, and more than 20 major programs have been shuttered.

Indeed, to be honest, this is really a time to be doing more, not less.  We have put off critical R&D and modernization because we have been spending on current operations.  According to former Senator Jim Talent, the Air Force is smaller and its planes older than at any time since it was created in 1947, and more than 50 modernization programs have ended in the last two years.  During a time of heavy combat rotations, some of this is understandable, but eventually we have to pay the piper. Secretary Panetta acknowledged as much calling for strong R&D during his confirmation hearings.

While this will have costs, the benefits to our nation of modernization and investment in aerospace defense are enormous.

On the military front, military advantage that allows us to act around the world while minimizing risk to our young servicemen and women is critical to our national security.  No one is looking to send ground troops to places like Libya – but if we don’t have the air power we need, you and your colleagues will end up with an impossible choice: either ignore gathering threats or risk more U.S. lives.  Predator drones, cruise missiles, spy satellites – these are the technologies that allow us to fight terrorists and rogue states without committing to another Iraq.

And at home, our economic strength depends on a strong manufacturing industry and the good American jobs it supports   My business, for example, makes radar and sensing equipment used in U.S. aircraft, drones, and satellites – we employ 800 Americans in your district and do business with local firms that employ another several thousand.  Indeed, I hope that when you are back home you can visit our plant and meet some of these extraordinary constituents.  Consider this a standing invitation.

Industrywide, aerospace contributes billions to our economy, employing more than 1 million workers and supporting more than 2 million related jobs and 30,000 suppliers in all 50 states.  Aerospace is one of the few industries keeping our trade balance afloat, with almost $78 billion in exports last year.  Obviously, we need to do more to grow this sector of our economy – not hobble it with unrealistic budget decisions.

I know that you are committing to bringing overall spending under control and I strongly applaud that effort.  But defense aerospace is the wrong place to look for big savings.

Thank you for considering my views.

Sincerely,

_______________

 

Dear Congressman,

You face a lot of tough decisions in Congress, but I am writing about an easy one.  Please do not delay the FAA’s new air traffic control system.

Right now, American air traffic operators are using the same radar and radio systems that have been in our control towers since the 1960s.  This technology is obsolete – the GPS in your staffer’s smartphone is more advanced then the navigation on a jetliner.  Text and data communication available to any teenager are still out of reach for our pilots and controllers.

While the old system has worked well for years, experts say it will soon buckle with the forecast boom in travel – U.S. passengers are supposed to increase from 700 million to over 1 billion in the next decade.  Errors like the one involving Michelle Obama and Jill Biden’s plane earlier this year are already becoming more common.  The fact is, if we don’t get a 21st century air traffic control system in place, things will only get worse.

Fortunately, the solution has already been worked out – the Next Generation Air Traffic Control System, which will use GPS technology to plot efficient routes and modern communications to keep our towers and planes in touch.  This will cut delays by around 25%, saving millions of gallons of fuel and reduce pollution.

And the system will basically pay for itself.  Just as the Interstate highway system produced massive economic growth by tying our nation more closely together, NextGen will do the same.  According to Congress’ Joint Economic Committee, the improved system would save our economy $40 billion a year in lost productivity and missed opportunities.  A recent study by the Deloitte firm found that NextGen will generate $29 billion in the U.S. and $135 billion worldwide in the very first year of full deployment.

And most importantly, it will also make air travel safer, allowing pilots to know precisely where they are at all times and giving them a text record of their communications and ready access to all the data they need.

I know budgets are tight, but the longer we wait to make these needed improvements, the more expensive, clogged, and inefficient, our skies become.

Thank you for considering my views.

Sincerely,

_______________

 

Dear Congressman,

 

I urge you to support NASA and our space program.   The President’s 2012 budget proposal already reduces NASA funding by $800 million.  Please do not consider or accept any further cuts.

After the Atlantis mission is complete, America will no longer have the ability to launch astronauts into space.  To get our people to the orbiting space station, we will be paying the Russians more than $60 million per seat – that is money that should be going to our space program, not theirs.

Space is critical to our national security.  Modern drones, battlefield communications, and precision navigation and missile strikes all depend on satellite resources that will be put at risk if space budgets are cut.

Weather forecasting –needed by farmer, industry, and also our troops – is also coming under pressure due to the last round of budget cuts.  (“Budget Cuts Mean ’18-Month Gap’ in Crucial Weather Data, Says Ocean Agency,” Science Magazine, April 13, 2011.)

I realize that our NASA space program is often a public/private partnership and I support industry’s effort to develop spacecraft capable of carrying astronauts and supplies to the space station and create new markets.

But space exploration also requires the unique resources of government.  Taxpayers have spent billions to develop parts of a new heavy lift launcher and a capsule – Orion – capable of sending Americans into the far reaches of space, to asteroids and eventually to Mars.   We need to support these new missions that continue our nation’s tradition of pushing forward into the next frontier.

In these tough times, the federal government needs to tighten its belt just like everybody else.  But no one supports cutting the technological leadership that makes the U.S. a global power or allowing countries like China or Russia to overtake us in space.

Sincerely,

_______________

Encourage Your Suppliers, Vendors, and Employees to Become Involved

The more people who weigh in on the budget debate the better.  Your vendors, suppliers, and employees all have opinions, but may not realize how important it is to speak up, and how easy it can be.  While everyone may have their own views, you are free to express to them your views, encourage that they become active and suggest ways in which they could engage.   How?

  • Direct them to the www.SecondToNone.org website and suggest they visit it for information and the online tools that make getting involved easy.
  • You can call or email your business partners, suppliers, vendors, and employees and urge that they get involved.
  • Encourage that they follow the instructions that are provided in this toolkit.
  • Be sure to follow all appropriate guidelines that your office may have regarding these civic activities.

For more information or if you could use advice or help, contact any of the following:

Second to None Widgets

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Federal Budget Education Campaign Messages

Second to None — The U.S. aerospace and defense industry leads the world and we need to keep it that way.

 

Aerospace and Defense Contributions to the United States

  • Aerospace and defense is among the most vital U.S. industries, employing more than 1 million well-paid workers. The industry supports more than 2 million middle class jobs with more than 30,000 suppliers from all fifty states.
  • The industry’s workforce is highly skilled, leading our nation in global competitiveness. The workforce is comprised of proud, productive and patriotic citizens. Ensuring  opportunities for young people to have exciting and well-paying careers will keep the industry strong in the future.
  • The industry brings a $50 billion net positive to our global trade balance, and is the leading U.S. manufacturing exporter.
  • Aerospace technology innovation creates jobs and improves our balance of trade. Aerospace and defense research and development secures our nation’s future and strengthens the industrial base.

 

Defense

  • Being Second to None in aerospace and defense means our servicemen and women will be safe, that our industry will continue to produce millions of jobs, that our research and innovation will be lead the world, and that we won’t cede our primacy to other countries vying to displace the U.S. as a global leader.
  • The American military has ruled the skies for decades – but that advantage is at risk and rivals are nipping at our heels.  DOD warns that dominance in space will increasingly be contested, which China true has proved with a record fifteen orbital launches last year alone as well as stunning the world by blasting a satellite from the sky.  If we stand still, our rivals will catch or beat us.
  • While some of our enemies may be low tech, it still takes high tech gear to find and stop them.  Navy SEALs may have taken down Bin Laden, but it was U.S. spy satellites that found him, U.S. drones that surveilled him, and U.S. secure networks that beamed the raid back to U.S. leaders in real time.  Roadside bombs may be simple, but the jammers that defuse them are cutting edge.   The military edge that keeps our servicemen and women safe comes from our aerospace and defense industrial base.
  • Research and development is the lifeblood of a healthy military – if we had not invested in stealth technology in the 1970s or drones in the 1990s, we would not have enjoyed the long headstart in those technologies that has protected and enriched us in recent years.  Countries are clamoring to buy our drones and stealthy fighters, because we rolled them out first.  Yet for the first time in 100 years, the United States has no new manned military aircraft in design.  Secretary Panetta said during his confirmation “if we want to protect our capabilities for the future, we have got to be able to have good R&D.”
  • Extreme cuts might bring short term savings but will cost more in the long run – Deputy Defense Secretary Bill Lynn recently warned that earlier cuts “crippled” whole sectors of the industry, and when new threats came and we needed to rebuild from scratch, the costs came with a “multiplier” because we hadn’t kept our industrial capabilities intact.

 

Civil Aviation

  • The U.S. air traffic system relies on 1950s-era technology that is less accurate and less reliable than the GPS and computer systems in any modern smartphone.  At the same time, our skies are growing more crowded – the number of passengers is expected to rise from 712 million last year to a billion or more next decade, not to mention the proliferation of unmanned vehicles.  We need a modern GPS-based system to safely and efficiently handle the increased density.
  • A modern air traffic control system – the Next Generation Air Transportation System – would reduce delays by at least 25% and save our economy an estimated $40 billion a year in lost productivity and missed opportunities, according to Congress’ Joint Economic Committee.  Fuel usage would drop by nearly 1.4 billion gallons a year even as flights increase by almost 50%, and greenhouse-gas emissions would go down by about 12%, the equivalent of removing 2.2 million cars from the roads each year.
  • The Federal Aviation Administration predicts that by 2031 the annual number of airline passengers in the United States will increase 78% –from 712.6 million in 2010 to about 1.27 billion in 2031. The associated increase in economic benefits from civil aviation will exceed $200 billion.

 

Space

  • With the retirement of the space shuttle program, America has no capacity to lift U.S. astronauts to orbit and must rely on the Russians to do so at a charge of roughly $60 million per launch – money that should be going to our space program, not theirs.
  • China, Russia, and India all have plans underway to explore the moon and beyond – the U.S. space program needs clear leadership and bold goals to keep us ahead of our rivals for space leadership.
  • History shows that aerospace and defense innovation spins off new technologies and industries at a breathtaking pace.   From computers to cell phones to GPS and beyond — 1,650 NASA spin offs since 1976 alone — our economy grows stronger when we make this commitment.  Taking a cleaver to the defense budget might yield some short-term savings, but we cannot afford the long-term costs.

Draft an Op-Ed Article for Your Local Paper with example

Op-ed articles are a critical means for framing the policy and political debate.  The op-ed pages are read by a wide range of policy makers, including by your local congressman who will have an important vote on issues affecting our industry.  And there is no better or more authoritative voice than you – you are on the front lines of an industry that protects our national security and which has built a world-class manufacturing base.

  • Draft a 500-700 page op-ed, in your words, which describes the best arguments, drawing on history, facts and logic.  This op-ed should not engage in personal attacks, but should be directed at the strength of our ideas and the weakness of those of our opponents.
  • Directions for submitting the op-ed are on a newspaper’s opinion/editorial page where email addresses for submissions are listed.  These can generally be done over email.
  • It is important to call the newspaper to ensure that the piece has been received.  The phone numbers for the op-ed page are generally listed with the submission information.  The general number for the newspaper can also connect you.
  • Your views about the impact on local readers are critical.  Your views and observations as a local leader are highly relevant.
  • Your integrity is critical – be sure to disclose any business or financial interest you have in the issues you are discussing when you submit the piece.

 

For more information or if you could use advice or help, contact any of the following:

 

 

Example Op Ed – 784 Words

 

Cutting The Defense Budget – or Gutting Our National Defense?

Everyone seems to agree we need to cut the budget, and that everything – even defense – must be on the table. But our leaders in Washington need to be careful that cuts don’t threaten our national or economic security.

For one thing, while the numbers are big, the fact is defense spending has not exploded, even though we’ve been in costly combat deployments for a decade.  We currently spend about 4.9% of GDP on defense, the lowest ever during wartime and well below the post-war average of 5.3%.  As recently as 1970 defense took up almost 40% of the federal budget, while it now makes up less than 16% of our spending.  Defense spending has already been slashed  $178 billion in recent years and more than 20 major programs have been shuttered.  So we don’t have as much fat to cut as people think.

With that baseline, the enormous reductions sought by the Obama Administration and some in Congress –cuts between four hundred billion and a trillion dollars are routinely demanded – simply cannot be accomplished without putting our national security at risk.

Outgoing Secretary Gates says that such cuts would have “catastrophic” consequences for our security in the age of terrorism and global threats.  And he warned that even proposals on the low end of this range would require steep cuts in troop strength, military capability, and our ability to take on different missions around the world.

Today, we are fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, fighting al Qaeda across the globe with Predator drones and other modern age technologies, protecting the nascent democratic movements in Libya and elsewhere, expanding operations to hot spots like Somalia and Yemen, and rotating home a fighting force worn down by a decade of repeated, extended combat deployments.

And if these rising threats weren’t daunting enough, multiple nations are developing stealth aircraft to challenge our dominance of the skies, and space is has becoming a battleground of its own. Rogue states like North Korea and Iran are steaming ahead with development of nuclear weapons and long range missiles that put the entire world at risk.

We must stay strong to deal with threats like these.

Secretary Gates had proposed a thoughtful approach to our budget problems: cut spending the smart way, and start with exploding military health care costs and wasteful contracting and acquisition processes that drive budgets through the roof without improving our military capabilities.  Review missions and roles, and ensure that we have the equipment and force structure we need to meet the world’s threats, and then cut outside those core requirements.

Coming out of the CIA, Secretary Panetta understands the danger of “asymmetrical” threats like shadow terrorists and rogue nations such as North Korea and Iran.  The paradox of technology means that even the lowest-rent criminals and despots can now get hold of the most sophisticated and devastating armaments.   From Pakistan to Libya to Yemen, our ability to defend our interests around the world depends on being able to do so with stealth and precision, and above all safety.

He also understands how the public has grown weary of deploying troops to more conflicts and increasingly wants to end our open-ended commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan.  When crisis exploded in Libya, for example, only air power was even considered as a military option – ground troops were ruled out before the first bomb fell.  In this environment, strong air power will be the key to our future defense.

Those sounding the alarm about the deficit are surely well intentioned, but good intentions aren’t enough.  Until they can show us how to make cuts without gutting the modern systems that give us our security edge, we must look at their calls to slash defense with caution.

Draft a Letter to the Editor of Your Local Paper with examples

Letters to the editor are a means of continuing the conversation started in a newspaper article or column.  They will be read by the author of the original piece and may come up when readers look for the article online.  Letters to the editor can correct the factual record or frame the debate in ways that may have been distorted or omitted from coverage of key policy issues.

  • Draft a letter to the editor between 150 and 225 words, in your words, which responds to an article or column published in your local paper.  The letter should have a strong point of view, and clearly explain the importance of the issue to local readers and the community.  The letter should not engage in personal attacks, but be directed at the strength of our ideas and the weakness of those of our opponents.
  • If the letter is correcting a factual mistake or other flaws in the paper’s coverage, it should do so matter of factly and avoid accusations or speculation about motives.
  • Directions for submitting the letter are on a newspaper’s opinion/editorial page where email addresses for submissions are listed.  These can generally be done over email.
  • It is important to call the newspaper to ensure that the letter has been received.   The phone numbers for the letters editor are generally listed with the submission information.   The general number for the newspaper can also connect you.
  • Your views about the impact on local readers are critical.  Your views and observations as a local leader are highly relevant.
  • Your integrity is critical – be sure to disclose any business or financial interest you have in the issues you are discussing when you submit the piece.

 

For more information or if you could use advice or help, contact any of the following:

 

 

Example Letter To The Editor – Air Traffic Control

Below is an example letter to the editor responding to an article that discusses civil aviation

 

To the editor:

While the federal budget deficit needs to be reduced (“ARTICLE TITLE,” DATE), it’s alarming that some proposals would involve cutting essential functions of government, such as public safety.

Case in point: some members of Congress want to cut spending on a plan to replace America’s air traffic system, which currently uses outdated, 40-year-old equipment. Already underway, if we don’t complete this long-overdue transformation now, our air travel system could collapse within a decade, causing widespread gridlock and safety concerns.

The Federal Aviation Administration’s NextGen program would replace World War II radar technology with satellite-based navigation and surveillance, and digital communications instead of unreliable voice communications.  There’s no reason the system that guides our air traffic should be less accurate than the navigation system in cars and cell phones, but it is. And NextGen will not only potentially save lives, it will cut costs by making air traffic more efficient, and reduce wasted fuel and greenhouse gas emissions.

The interstate highways were expensive – but that investment has paid off for decades.  Congress needs to make the same kind of commitment to our air travel future.

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Example Letter To The Editor

Below is an example letter to the editor responding to an article that discusses the use of airpower in the NATO Libyan engagement.

 

Re:  [Article Title, Date]

To the editor:

One of the basic rules of military conflict is to control the high ground – air superiority keeps our ground troops safe in combat, and can allow us to fight without putting boots on the ground at all.  From Kosovo to Libya, to the drone wars taking on terrorists in hot spots around the world, air power and our ability to strike safely from a distance are allowing us to defend our interests without putting our servicemen and women in harm’s way.

But defense cuts under consideration in Congress right now are putting our air supremacy at risk, slashing funding for the advanced fighter jets and drone aircraft that have made these efforts possible.  If budget cutters in Congress have their way, we may find ourselves out of luck – or at least out of good choices – when the next Gadaffi rears his head.

I am proud that electronics and other components of fighters at work in Libya and around the world are made in California, some of them at the plant I run.  Not only do these technologies keep our servicemen and women safe, they provide thousands of Americans with good jobs here at home –2,200 jobs in our town alone.

Keeping control of the skies and investing in the American worker is a no brainer – Congress needs to look elsewhere for cuts.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

 

Example Letter To The Editor — Space

Below is an example letter to the editor responding to an article that discusses the future of the US space program

 

Re:  [Article Title, Date]

To the editor:

While the end of the space shuttle is a real loss, it isn’t right to say that America doesn’t have a strong way forward in space.

NASA has already laid out a straightforward plan to continue supporting the space station and travelling beyond low earth orbit  in the coming decades.

The benefits of being first in space are obvious – numerous life-changing technologies from CT scanners to the jaws of life used to rescue accident victims were first developed through NASA research.  We can’t predict the innovations that will result from space exploration, but we know that they’ll keep America on the cutting edge of technology, preserving our role as the world’s sole superpower.  This is probably why almost 60% of Americans have said that leadership in space is “essential” in a recent poll.

Despite these many benefits, your article suggests that Washington budget cutters may sacrifice this bright future by slashing NASA’s budget in an effort to solve the deficit problem.

According to news reports, America now spends more on air conditioning in Afghanistan and Iraq than it does each year on space.  That makes no sense — Congress should eliminate wasteful spending and costly foreign wars before sacrificing our leadership in space.

Sincerely,