U.S. trade office says access to global markets is easier than ever.

• Author: Erwin, Sandra I.

Defense and aerospace contractors are fretting these days about the anticipated decline of U.S. government spending on new hardware.

The good news is that Uncle Sam is ready and willing to help companies seek new markets for their products, overseas. All they need to do is contact the nearest "export assistance center," of which there are 100 in the United States.

"We work with many defense companies," says Geoffrey Cleasby, commercial officer at the U.S. Department of Commerce Northern Virginia export assistance center in Arlington, Va.

In fiscal year 2008, DOC's commercial service helped U.S. companies score 12,659 export deals valued at $67 billion, Cleasby says. He estimates that for every tax dollar invested in the U.S. commercial service, exporters realize an average of $359 in sales.

When defense contractors sell products or services to foreign governments, those deals are managed by the Defense Department's foreign military sales organization. But those same companies also may have goods to offer to non-government foreign customers, and that's where export advisors such as Cleasby can help.

"The most important function we do is identify partners for U.S. companies," he says. The Commerce Department's International Trade Administration has a staff of more than 1,000 who are spread across 150 offices in 85 countries. Their job is to promote U.S. industries and find suitable corporate partners for American firms, he says.

"We are not a sales organization. We are a matchmaking organization," Cleasby stresses.

"Our capability to find good, reputable partners has become our most important offering to U.S. exporters," he says.

Initial counseling is offered free of charge, but companies are charged fees for other services. Matchmaking, for example, ranges from $350 to $2,300 depending on the size of the firm. Trade show assistance costs $2,000.

All dealings are confidential, so Cleasby would not discuss specific contracts or partnerships. "We work with all major defense contractors," he says.

Small firms in the defense and aerospace sectors typically enter the export markets as subcontractors to large companies.

Many countries covet U.S. technology. Most of the export opportunities are in high-tech products and services. Cleasby spent two years in Saudi Arabia, where he worked in the oil and gas sector. "The United States still reigns supreme in oil...