by Norma Byron (June 2002)

Industry Cited for 'Flexibility' in War

At the Women In Defense annual meeting and dinner, Suzanne Patrick, deputy undersecretary of defense for industrial policy, praised the defense industry's flexibility in responding to the war on terrorism, particularly to military operations in Afghanistan.

She described the conflict as an "Internet-age" war, enabling U.S. soldiers on horseback employing global-positioning systems to locate and fight the enemy. Despite such successes, Patrick noted that the defense industry faces a growing crisis in its workforce, where large numbers of skilled workers are scheduled to retire over the next few years.

Particularly worrisome, she said, is the shortage of engineers and technicians needed to replace retirees. During the meeting-which was held at the Army-Navy Country Club in Arlington, Va.-NDIA President Lawrence P. Farrell, Jr., installed WID's incoming national board of directors.

Chapter Development

Interest in forming regional WID chapters continues to grow. At Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., NDIA's local chapter and Michael Devine, technical director of the U.S. Army's Tank-Automotive and Armament Command's Armament Research Development and Engineering Center, sponsored a luncheon in March to begin formation of a WID chapter there. An organizing committee was appointed, and 41 new members agreed to join.

At NDIA's Leadership Conference in April, Art Heydermann, president of NDIA's Iowa-Illinois Chapter, explained why his organization assisted in forming a WID unit there. "We believed it was in the best interest of our chapter to encourage the formation of a WID chapter," Heydermann said. "Our membership was aging, and we noticed the trend of more women entering management positions locally. We have found WID's affiliation with NDIA provides a great opportunity to augment the growth and participation levels of our chapter." With such views in mind, the WID Board is making plans to work together with more NDIA chapters to assist in forming new chapters.

Little Theater of Alexandria

The HORIZONS Scholarship Foundation will hold its annual theater fundraiser-a champagne and chocolate reception-at the Little Theater of Alexandria, Va., on June 11. "The Little Theater of Alexandria is our annual venue to raise awareness of the HORIZONS scholarship, while providing an opportunity to raise needed funds," said Marie Danco, HORIZONS managing director. "HORIZONS encourages women to enter career fields associated with national security."

Norma Byron, president of the Ashlawn Group, LLC, is president of Women In Defense.

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