Made In The USA: Manufacturing Policy, Defense Industrial Base, U.S. Natl. Security (Part 1 of 2)
On Wednesday, September 22, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. in room HVC-210 of the Capitol Visitors Center (CVC), the Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs held a hearing entitled, "Made in the USA: Manufacturing Policy, the Defense Industrial Base, and U.S. National Security." This hearing examined the national security implications of U.S. manufacturing policy, with a focus on the security challenges posed by a shrinking defense industrial base and domestic supply chain. Manufacturing - including the defense industrial base - currently accounts for 12 percent of U.S Gross Domestic Product and 10 percent of national employment. Yet increasingly, the defense industry faces the proliferation of foreign-made and counterfeit parts, outdated technology, and a depleted manufacturing workforce. This hearing reviewed recent scholarship and research on the challenges facing U.S. manufacturing and the implications for U.S. national security. Witnesses were also asked to offer their recommendations to improve U.S. manufacturing policy in order to strengthen and protect national defense.
