Defense industry group focuses on jobs as sequestration looms

A leading defense and aerospace industry group released a report Wednesday that looks to make the fight about sequestration a jobs debate.

With the defense industry staring down the threat of $500 billion in cuts to the Pentagon budget in January 2013, the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) released a report touting the economic impact the defense and aerospace industry has in the United States.

The report, which AIA commissioned Deloitte to conduct, gives a state-by-state breakdown of the industry’s economic boost, finding that overall the industry had $324 billion in sales in 2010.

A release accompanying the report says it’s part of a campaign to educate the public and elected officials about the danger of sequestration.

“Sequestration threatens to devastate our industry’s contributions to America’s bottom line,” AIA President and CEO Marion Blakey said in a statement. “This report sends the clear reminder that sequestration is a local, community issue, the jobs at stake are not here in Washington, D.C. Over 1 million American jobs and the security of our nation are at stake.”

The 1 million jobs figure comes from a previous report — which was greeted with some skepticism — that AIA released in October when the congressional supercommittee was still trying to hash out a deal on the deficit that never came, setting the sequestration wheels in place.

Republicans in Congress have proposed delaying the sequester for both defense and non-defense discretionary spending for one year by cutting federal workers, a plan opposed by Democrats.

The Republicans have urged Congress to deal with sequester now, and not after the election, because they say the defense industry will have to start preparing for the potential cuts now. Most members have said they don’t expect a deal before November.

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