Northrop CEO Says Export Controls Should be Eased

The government needs to launch new programs and ease export controls to ensure defense contractors remain capable and viable, said Wes Bush, chief executive and president of Northrop Grumman, in a speech to the region's technology community last week.

Bush -- known as a young executive rapidly remaking one of the largest of the country's military contracting businesses -- acknowledged the federal government's budget difficulties, but he said policymakers must find a way to preserve incentives to innovate.

"Speaking as an engineer, for many of the critical skills there is no substitute for actually building something," Bush said. "If we don't have new projects, those skill areas will atrophy."

Click here to read the entire article: