As of late last week, the U.S. government was in the second week of drastically curtailed operations and Washington was flirting with inaction on a technical fix needed to make good on its treasury's obligations. One major defense company chief we spoke with last week described the federal budget process as “chaos” and the impact on the industries we cover as “a destructive force” (see page 31).
Five years ago, the U.S. rotorcraft industry was stagnant, fat and happy. It was building the same old helicopters for customers who did not think they needed anything better. Today, the industry is vibrant and developing new designs, but running the same risk of focusing on a single, dominant customer with a shaky record of making and sticking to procurement decisions.
Troy E. Meink, director of the Signals Intelligence Systems Acquisition Directorate, and Larry D. Bell, director-Space Systems Program Office, both at the National Reconnaissance Office, have been selected to receive the Joseph V. Charyk Award given by the Washington-based National Space Club, for leadership within the signals field.
