Is Northrop Grumman's Move to Washington Good For America, Asks Columnist Steven Pearlstein
Washington Post business columnist Steven Pearlstein’s article on Friday raises interesting issues about the state of the aerospace industry in the wake of Northrop Grumman’s decision to move from California to the Washington, D.C. neighborhood. “Northrop’s decampment completes the retreat of the aerospace industry’s top echelon from Southern California, where it all began” he remarks, later adding:
“While all this is great for the Washington economy, I wonder, however, whether it’s really good for America. What made the American aerospace and defense industry the best in the world was its knack for taking risks, thinking big and delivering a steady stream of innovative gee-whiz products. But if you talk to people who have been around the industry for a while, you get the sense that too much of that innovative edge has been lost.”
It’s an interesting read not only for the issues he raises, but also for the trip down memory lane. “Northrop”, “Boeing,” and “Lockheed” are just names of corporations these days. Pearlstein reminds us of the men — Jack Northrop, Bill Boeing, and Allan Lockheed — who created the companies and how the industry as a whole has changed over the years.
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