New NDIA Chair Addresses Membership
ARLINGTON, VA – As the new Chair of NDIA's Board, effective October 1, 2018, I want to let stakeholders know how honored I am to represent our association and its people. Sid Ashworth and Arnold Punaro before her put in place an excellent team led by General (Retired) Hawk Carlisle, and I will continue to look for ways to strategically enhance and grow our staff. We are the largest defense association in the country and certainly one of the most financially sound. As a 501(c)(3), we enjoy a high level of respect, demonstrated by frequent requests for input and advice from officials at all levels of the U.S. government. We provide a critical sounding board for these officials, drawing information from 29 chapters, 29 divisions, 1,700 corporate members and more than 74,000 individual members.
Modern warfare and our defense establishment are experiencing accelerating change. While the defense industry played a minor role in innovation and new technology 30 years ago, today it plays a major role in developing and delivering new technology to American warfighters. Our mission, and our duty, is to support our warfighters with the best equipment, training and logistical support in the world.
While we see a significant increase in the NDAA defense budgets in FY18 and FY19, I don't believe this trend will continue. Our industry will face many challenges over the next decade as we reinvigorate Combined Arms Warfare and increase focus on Multi-Domain Operations. I welcome your participation as we strengthen NDIA's role as the most trusted and reliable collaboration partner in the defense enterprise. My fellow board members and our chapter and division leadership join me in encouraging your participation through supporting your local chapter, joining a committee, or adding your expertise to an NDIA meeting or event. Cyber, space, quantum, artificial intelligence, hypersonics, and other technologies offer game-changing capabilities that will almost certainly help early adopters and innovators dominate future fights.
I look forward to working with all of you to continue sharpening America's competitive edge to ensure American warfighters always enjoy unfair advantages.