Nearly half of U.S. aerospace sales are exported and are a foundation for building key relationships and shared security and prosperity with important international allies and partners,AIA President and CEO Marion Blakey said this week in testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Trade Subcommittee.
“We estimate nearly half of our workforce is dependent on aerospace exports,” Blakey said. “As the industry becomes more global, a modernized export control system will help our industry compete in the international marketplace, grow jobs and expedite our economic recovery.”
Congress has been instrumental in recent export control modernization initiatives, including reducing licensing times at the State Department to an average of 15 days and ensuring FAA-certified components are not treated as military items.
AIA supports a number of provisions to modernize the export control system, and looks forward to working with the administration on its interagency review to make the export control system more efficient, predictable and transparent.
“Aerospace exports fuel job growth and the competitiveness of the most innovative industrial base in the world,” Blakey said. “The government-industry partnership supporting aerospace exports is crucial.”