Know the Facts:
- Aerospace and defense employ approximately 800,000 Americans in all fifty states and support more than 2 million related jobs.
- Aerospace and defense helps balance the books - it is a the leading US manufacturing exporter and adds more than $50 billion to our trade balance each year.
- The current defense budget is about 4.9 percent of GDP - the lowest ever during wartime and well below the post-war average of 5.3%.
- In 1970 defense took up almost 40 percent of the federal budget; today it makes up less than 16 percent of federal spending.
- The U.S. has no new manned military aircraft in design - the first time that has happened in 100 years.
- The Navy and Air Force will be 900 planes short of mission requirements by 2020.
What can you do:
- Know the facts - visit www.secondtonone.org
- Contact your congressman and senators and let them know that the defense budget is important to you and your family.
