Focus on Strong Industrial Base Defines Past and Future of NDIA.

• Author: Skibbie, Larry
• Position: National Defense Industrial Association - Brief Article

This month marks our fourth anniversary as the National Defense Industrial Association. As the saying goes, "time flies when you are having fun." We surely have come a long way during the past four years. We integrated two organizations that, while similar in purpose, had significantly different modes of operation--and we've taken the best attributes of ADPA and NSIA and blended them into NDIA.

I hope you agree that the merger was the right thing to do for both our members and for our mission of supporting the defense industrial base. We are a much stronger and more prominent association as a result.

By the way, there is a clarification about our name that needs to made. The "I" in NDIA stands for "Industrial" rather than industry or industries. This differentiation is significant because we have both individual citizens and industrial corporations as members. More importantly, we are advocates for the defense industrial base, rather than for industry in general or for any group of industries.

But enough about the past, better to look ahead to see where we are going.

First, NDIA is actually a family of associations, as can be seen from the diagram on this page. We have three affiliated associations: NTSA, focused on training and simulation; AFEI, concentrating on electronic commerce and electronic business, and WID, providing networking and career development opportunities for women in the defense community.

Our plans for the future at NDIA include:

* We will continue advocating a strong national security program. We do this by espousing NDIA's Top Issues for 2001 (see below). We need your support at the grassroots level for this advocacy effort.

* We will continue to expand the unique networking opportunities provided by our extensive program of conferences and exhibits.

* We will support and grow the "communities" represented by our Committees and Divisions. Each of these communities provides opportunities for people with common interests to network and share...