This is one of those ‘I told you so’ situations…
When BO was elected, lots of folks in the know looked at the handwriting on the wall and said the defense industry was going to be in trouble…
POLITICO’s analysis included Lockheed, Boeing’s defense unit, Raytheon, General Dynamics and Northrop, with Northrop’s numbers adjusted to account for its 2011 spinoff of its shipbuilding business (now called Huntington Ingalls).
The five defense firms have in total eliminated 70,000 jobs since 2008, largely through layoffs, buyouts, attrition or, in the case of Boeing, moving employees to the commercial side of the business. Some companies have also made significant divestitures; the most prominent is Northrop’s spinoff of Huntington Ingalls, but it also sold TASC in 2009.
Full article HERE on Politico.com. And this is not over yet… While the article says sequestration isn’t the main driver, I’d take that with a grain of salt, since those hits to the military budget weren’t ‘just’ absorbed by the active duty forces. Quiet a bit of those cuts funneled down to the contractors working for/on various projects.
Now remember, these are JUST the big 5, this doesn’t take into account the literally hundreds of small companies that have also lost some or all of their workforce. Due to the overhead requirements (security people, facilities, etc.) it’s damn near impossible for a small defense company to compete in the commercial market.
Some studies say the total reductions are somewhere in the neighborhood of 125-150,000 highly skilled workers that are now gone. Maybe you know of or ARE one of them…
Unbelievable.
Fundamental change?
Yes, sir. Fundamentally FUBAR. So much for the “Hope” part of “Hope and Change!”
Navy91 is correct. And the “hits” just keep on coming!
What escapes too many is the lead time required to accumulate a skilled work force. Experience is lost, which leads to the same mistakes being repeated and the loss of efficiency.
If our defense industry only made doughnuts and coffee, in a few years, nobody will want to stop for a cup and never take the chance of trying one of the doughnuts.
Yup, I know quite a few of those folks both at my place of employment and some of the small guys you mention.
This was happening BEFORE sequestration, though that didn’t help.
Bottom kind of fell out in 2010. Hasn’t gotten better yet. In fact it’s so bad, they’re actually laying off senior folks.
Jess hit it right on the head!
I’ve been part of this in the past, but was lucky to get called back once.
There’s a knowledge base that gets lost, and no matter how well documented you have things, there’s NO substitute for the “Tribal Knowledge” that older, experienced workers have.
The place I got laid off from last week will NEVER be able to resume operations, as NONE of the experienced people will go back if called.
I concur. Disaster in the skill workforce.
What escapes too many is the lead time required to accumulate a skilled work force. Experience is lost, which leads to the same mistakes being repeated and the loss of efficiency.
If our defense industry only made doughnuts and coffee, in a few years, nobody will want to stop for a cup and never take the chance of trying one of the doughnuts.
Well it was said so good (by Jess), it needed to be said again.
Since the DOD is one of the biggest employers in the world, these cuts basically put people out of work. In the mentality of progressives, these are not considered the right kind of government job, as opposed to the brainless toads who work at the IRS.
I keep ‘looking for the bottom’ in all of this…the point at which the pendulum has swung as far as it’s going. And I still don’t see it. There are two more years of hope and change ahead. If Hillary is coronated, at least six more years.
Loss of skilled workers. Hit to the economy. Devastating impact on individuals and families. Not to mention gutting our national defense capabilities. And for what? Hope and Change?
Oh my achin’ back…
Happened to me, too, a few years back. Their excuse, we need to c(g)ut the overhead positions because “you don’t charge to a contract!” Best thing that ever happened as I now work for a much better company not tied to DoD.
We paid the price for a weak military on 12/07/1941 that weakness caused 1,076,245 dead and wounded, MIA 30,314.
How many will die and be wounded as a result of gutting the military today?
All- Thanks. And agree with the comments I’m seeing.
Posted from my iPhone.
I have been hearing about these cuts for a few years and how they have been “Pink slipping” serving troops and officers in all Military branches.
Hasn’t your glorious leader just involved you in another “Police Action” with IS – one that will need both equipment (reliable I hope) and man power to wield it?
Seems the concept of “you need the equipped people to do the job” just doesn’t sink in with your Powers that Be 🙁
Teh 0ne’s handlers in Moscow/Mecca/Tehran (pick one … or more) must be very pleased with their efforts.
PAx- Yes they have… And no they don’t… Thankfully y’all are stepping up and helping!
Stretch- Probably…