Policy committees offer networking venues.

• Position: Government Policy Notes - National Defense Industrial Association - Brief Article

Corporate membership in NDIA carries with it many benefits, including opportunities to work on important issues that affect the defense industry. NDIA offers its members such opportunities primarily through the work of three divisions: International, Legislative Information and Procurement. NDIA's government-policy office, which is responsible for tracking legislation and regulations that may affect the association's members, provides operational support for these three divisions. As is the case with other NDIA divisions, participation in government-policy activities is limited to corporate members and government officials.

International

NDIA's International Division offers members the opportunity to interact with government officials, both foreign and domestic, and international industry representatives. Recently, for example, NDIA--in conjunction with the Confederation of Indian Industry and the U.S.-India Business Council--hosted the U.S.-India Defense Industry Seminar. This forum brought together the key players from the U.S. and Indian Defense Departments, as well as industry representatives from the two countries to discuss security and cooperation issues.

At the NDIA seminar, Douglas Feith, undersecretary of defense for policy, discussed major changes in the U.S.-India relationship and the private sector in India. For example, in September--after the terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center and Pentagon--President Bush lifted the sanctions imposed on India four years ago by his predecessor.

During Indian Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee's visit to the United States last November, he and Bush pledged to further improvements to Indo-U.S. relations, including a renewal of military-to-military ties. The revitalized joint US-India Defense Policy Group resumed meeting after five years of inactivity.

The Indian government decided in recent months to permit that country's private sector to expand into defense production. Since then, U.S. defense companies have shown renewed interest in Indian business opportunities. In January, Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes hosted a roundtable breakfast in Washington, D.C., with representatives of the U.S. defense industrial base.

Legislative Information

The Legislative Information Division gives NDIA members access to key members of Congress and their staffs, as well as government and industry executives. The division also provides opportunities to obtain timely legislative information. At...