NDIA Educational Mission Allows Advocacy, Limited Lobbying Role.

• Jurisdiction: United States
• Date: 01 November 2000
• Author: Skibbie, Larry

Almost 10 years ago, the Board of Directors approved my recommendation to have the association assume a more activist role in promoting the need for a strong national defense and technology base, with particular attention to the nations industrial preparedness. My reasoning was that is one of the fundamental reasons why our founders decided to create the association back in 1919: to speak out on behalf of the industrial base.

The Board's endorsement of that recommendation sparked a decade-long evolution by NDIA into the active advocacy role we now play.

Often, when people learn that we advocate for specific issues, their first reaction is almost a whispered, "But you don't lobby, do you?" That common reaction led me to believe that many of our members may not be familiar with NDIA's participation in advocacy activities. It seemed appropriate that we should fully explain our policy on advocacy, because it does include some forms of...