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The Death of Manufacturing Has Jeopardized US National Security
Manufacturing has been in decline for many years in our country. The national GDP is more reliant on financial instruments that do not add anything of worth to the country, than we do on manufacturing, which creates wealth and worth. This is more than just an economic issue though, it turns out that this is and will be even more so in the future, a national security issue.
A new report authored by Dr. Joel Yudken, he discovered that the erosion of our manufacturing base in the United States has left massive gaps in our nation’s national security. In the Yudken report titled, Manufacturing Insecurity he states that, “there are advanced technologies critical to military systems—armor plate steel, defense-specific integrated circuits, night vision goggles—for which domestic sources are inadequate.”
Dr. Yudken quotes Col. Michael Cole, of the U.S. Joint Forces Command, who observes:
the problem is not just a matter of a handful of highly specialized items designed to meet narrow defense requirements, but the “eradication of U.S. industry capability.” He also warns that current strategies to deal with an industrial base that increasingly is unable to supply the military with manufactured parts and electronic components are not working.
The report also indicates that a substantial number of items once supplied by manufactures in the U.S. are now obtained from foreign suppliers because they are “not readily available from U.S. producers.”
At a forum on April 14th, 2011, hosted by the AFL-CIO Industrial Union Council, the Coalition for a Prosperous America, the AFL-CIO Metal Trades Department, and the Alliance for American Manufacturing Dr. Yudken presented his findings.
AFL-CIO’s BOB BAUGH: What happens to our national security when our manufacturing base is destroyed? It’s interconnected.
REPORT AUTHOR JOEL YUDKEN: Let’s look at this more broadly than the defense department. Look at entire cross-section of industrial base, evaluate health of entire manufacturing sector. Across the board, there is a sustained erosion across the manufacturing sector. These are industries critical for national defense. R&D and innovation also affected.
YUDKEN: Some data: 6 million jobs lost in past decade. This includes lost expertise in niche areas. Manufacturing’s value added growth has fallen tremendously. Industrial capacity has declined. 57,000 lost manufacturing plants. Steady growth of U.S. trade deficit. Very worrying: a trade deficit in Advanced Technology Products since 2002.
YUDKEN: 13 of 16 key defense industrial sectors show clear erosion. Two key areas for defense that are declining– semiconductors and printed circuitboards. At the same time, China is building up its capacity.
YUDKEN: Other examples– advanced materials, specialty metals, rare earth metals, stainless steel, machine tools. Specific applications include night vision goggles. China gaining an advantage through subsidies and other predatory actions.
YUDKEN: Aerospace helps improve our trade balance, yet we’re losing ground in this sector, in part due to offsets (production is required to be moved overseas as condition of contract with foreign supplier). Offsets reach as much as 70% of overall contract.
YUDKEN: Offsets lead to U.S. technology being transferred overseas.
YUDKEN: The overall result: innovation and technological development are eroding, moving overseas. U.S. losing its world leadership position in technology innovation. U.S. has been building up for 50 years, but now it is eroding.
YUDKEN: If we lose the know-how embodied in trained workforce, we lose foundation of industrial sector.
YUDKEN: What we need to correct this: Buy America policies, national manufacturing strategy.
So as we can see, it is not just menial manufacturing jobs, like clothing and toy manufacturers, that are leaving this country. High tech jobs are also leaving, jobs that involve specialized training, such as with semi-conductors and circuit boards. This problem affects the entire American economy and our national strength.
Our economy is sitting on sifting sand rather than a strong foundation. We need our leaders to stand up and be accounted and fight corporations who seeking to undermine the American worker, in favor of larger dividend checks. This not a left,right, conservative or liberal issue. In my view even the tea party should grab a hold of this and support it.
The conservative leaders like to tout the free market and free trade, but they also like to appear tough on national security. This presents them with an ideological conundrum. “Buy American” provisions are viewed as protectionist in the eyes of conservatives, but sometimes, protectionism, protects our country and our citizens.
Image: Daily Speculations
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14 Responses to The Death of Manufacturing Has Jeopardized US National Security
Anne
Apr. 15th, 2011 at 2:29 pm
It’s eye-opening to see just how the outsourcing impacts the country’s ability to manufacture goods used in actual defense of the country. I would bet that the GOP politicians who uphold this outsourcing have not given this matter much thought, if any. But the jeopardizing of national security also includes the lessening of financial stability. IMO, national security is as much about financial solvency as it is of military preparedness.
Jtl
Apr. 15th, 2011 at 3:47 pm
WOW, not a line of thought I have followed.You teach me something new everyday.
Thanks and why is this not up on other blogs and emailed to the MSM…I will c/p to my list…. so should everyone else!
If you okay it!
Ray Medeiros
Apr. 15th, 2011 at 4:27 pm
Go for it JTL,
everyone really needs to know this information.
Reynardine
Apr. 15th, 2011 at 3:01 pm
I think they have exactly given it thought. Their allegience is no longer to this country, and surely not to its Constitution. It is to the global plutonomy, the “nation without a flag” of which JulesVerne spoke. That plutonomy, even when it originated under our laws and our protection, is not American. It will sell its strength and technology to whoever will give it the most power with the least hindrance, to whoever will aid its in its scheme of total stratification and unbridled control, and do not be surprised if one day it comes back to us… on divisions of enemy aircraft carriers, bombers, and tanks. What would we have to fight them with, then? Nothing we won’t have better and sooner if we fight them now.
novenator
Apr. 15th, 2011 at 3:07 pm
This is why we needed to bailout the auto-manufacturers imho. No matter what happens, we cannot lose our industrial base, or we will lose our capacity to defend ourselves (or engage in a larger theatre of war) if need be. This is a no brainer, but the greedy cons just want to outsource all the manufacturing to China to make an extra buck for the rich!
Realist
Apr. 15th, 2011 at 3:38 pm
I’ve been aware of this situation since I learned several years ago that there were only three ammunition suppliers to the Pentagon: Israeli Arms, Beretta, and the Taiwan national armory. As a student of history, I am well aware of how vulnerable a national military is when the source of its supplies have to travel by sea. The Joint Army-Navy Assessment Committee decided that US submarines were 54% responsible for the defeat of Japan in the Pacific War, and German U-boats were perhaps weeks away from forcing Britain to surrender when US aid began to turn the tide.
There is another reason why the Pentagon is foolish for outsourcing necessary supplies: reliability. A National Guardsman I used to work with told me that when his unit sent some troops to support the attack on Tora Bora, their bullets didn’t have the necessary range to counter the AK-47 rounds used by the opposing forces. It seems these round -from Israeli Arms- were intended only for target practice, and thus weren’t fully loaded with gunpowder.
So if the military doesn’t see fit to employ American workers in domestic armories to ensure that American soldiers are able to defend this nation (even if right now that means stealing oil for American energy companies), then they are derelict in their sworn duty.
jk
Apr. 15th, 2011 at 3:51 pm
For the past 28 years I have worked in the field of metalworking machinery, I have bought, sold and appraised millions of dollars in machinery from small mom and pop tool and die shops up to multimillion square foot tier one manufacturers; I have truly seen the triumph and tradegy of American manufacturing; Our consumer choices on a daily basis drive the economy; Buy a Korean car, guess where the money goes? And dont give me the song and dance about foreign mfgers having plants here employing Americans, bottom line is the money goes back to the home country; Our biggest fear should be our lack of American Machine Tool Builders; Machine tools make EVERYTHING else, without them you have nothing; 28 years ago if you had told me companies like Bridgeport, Blanchard, Reed, Lucas, Cincinnati Milacron would be gone I would have never believed it; Our buyers have chosen to buy first Japanese imports, now Korean, Taiwanese and worst yet Chinese made machinery to make everthing else; The strength of our country in the ’50′s ’60′s and so one was based on our manufacturing capabilities, we cannot exist as a nation on technology and information, we NEED manufacturing!!!!!!
majii
Apr. 16th, 2011 at 12:30 pm
My youngest brother works for Boeing in WA state, and he told me a few weeks ago that the reason the new Dreamliner is so far behind in production is due to outsourcing. The production of many parts for the planes were outsourced, were returned to the plant in substandard condition, couldn’t meet U.S. safety specs, and couldn’t be used. This cost the company lots of money. The company sought to solve its mistake by laying off experienced workers. He also told me that his plant has flown thousands of these foreign workers to his plant for training, paying their salaries, and providing their food and lodging. These jobs should be American jobs. IMO, this adds insult to injury because an American corporation that receives U.S. government subsidies is training foreign workers and returning them to their home countries instead of training American workers who will spend their money here, all to save a few dollars. My brother, like yourself, jk, is a machinist, and this makes him very angry.
ED.H
Apr. 15th, 2011 at 5:51 pm
look at all the stuff you have in your house the shoes your wearing shirts food coffee mexico ,vietnam, pakistan ,china ,india we dont even get anything made in taiwan any more its our car parts are made in japan for american cars so what happens if red china gets a tsunami and every thing is under water or one hits the southeast ai
Reynardine
Apr. 15th, 2011 at 8:22 pm
Puerto Rico can produce coffee, cocoa, and tea, among our other normal imports, and it is American. This Commonwealth should receive statehood, and its products, along with other domestic products, should receive favored tax and tariff treatment. As a State, its labor, wage, and environmental standards would be in conformity with ours, unlike foreign producers or even those under the U.S. flag which lack the protection of statehood, like Marianas. It would be no more difficult to conform its legal code to the rest of the nation’s than that of Louisiana, also a civil code jurisdiction. Of course, the Republicans would have the usual tantrum at the very idea, but in truth Puerto Ricans are already citizens, and can vote as soon as they take up residence on the mainland. It’s time to get with the program, and let the Brewerites spazz.
allen
Apr. 15th, 2011 at 8:25 pm
like jk above, i have also been involved in this industry since 1994 and must add supporting evidence to the fact that this post is completely accurate.
Even today, i still work in the industry, the US military gets a HUGE amount of manufactured product from China and other foreign countries. As far as i can tell, from my present position, only systems that are classified are forced to be manufactured in the united states of america
all for the sake of increased profits for US multinationals…
Realist
Apr. 16th, 2011 at 7:46 am
“Buy American” is a total lie. Ever since Ford announced their “World Car” back in the 1970s, American manufacturers have sent much of their supplier’s work to Asia. Just because the final assembly might have been in Oklahoma doesn’t make a car “American”. The majority of the workers that build any “American” car are neither citizens nor paid as much as citizens, all so a very few people at the top can take even more for themselves as they plan further exports of our jobs. GM is already building more cars in China than they build in the US.
So while jk’s argument might have had some validity when Ford first declared open season on American workers, I didn’t hear him raise a cry in defense of Visteon workers in Indiana nor Delphi’s workers in Michigan when their work was exported just a couple of years ago. As long as the Detroit execs get theirs, who cares about the guys who punch the time clock. right?
Ardith Thomas
Apr. 16th, 2011 at 2:22 pm
NAFTA has shopped so many American jobs to other countries and what are we left with? Unemployment at record high levels in every state. We are almost a third world country now. Nice work, politicians!
Marleycat
Apr. 17th, 2011 at 4:45 pm
And soon, if the US comes into serious conflict with those countries we given our manufacturing base to (with our tax dollars,to boot)- they won’t even have to have their own military to take action against us. From high tech, food, pharmaceuticals, machine parts, etc. – just send bad parts, poisoned medicine, computers with built-in undetectable programs and spyware to sabotage any number of different applications here – defense, power grids, water, you name it. With the dumbing down of America accomplished by defunding education pre-k through college – Americans already cannot keep up with other countries – and all this accomplished by our own electorate. Dumb Americans who want to keep getting dumber, more unhealthy, poorer, culturally, militarily, intellectually and philosophically deficient. We’re almost all the way there now. At least once the fundamentalist Religious Right joins up with the Teabaggers and the GOP we’ll have so many babies we can’t feed and care for (but who cares- we all love babies, right) and we’ll all be good Church going Christians like them!