A Dangerous Dependence by Pat Choate (NAPSA)—The United States almost lost the Revolutionary War because the nation could not manufacture even the most basic goods required byits soldiers, sailors and marines. a Hundreds of sol_diers who spent the winter of 1777-78 in Valley Forge had no clothes to cover their nakedness, no tents Choate, protect them from the rain and snow, and no blankets to keep them warm. On December 27, 1777, General George Washington sent a letter to the Congress saying, “We have this day no less than two thousand eight hundred and ninetynine men in camp unfit for duty, because they are barefoot and otherwise naked.” President Washington’s first State of the Union message called upon Congress to ensure that the nation produced domestically those goods essential to the national defense. From that time until the late 20th Century, Congress safeguarded U.S. national security by requiring that certain vital goods and equipment be purchased only from factories operating within the United States. In recent years, however, the U.S. Government has weakened and abandoned thosetraditional policies. Now, defense contractors are encouraged to buy goods, components and production equipment at the cheapest price, regardless of where they are made, even when such purchases may create a dangerous dependence on foreign suppliers. Earlier this year, Chairman Duncan Hunter of the House Armed Services Committee sponsored legislation, now approved in the U.S. House of Representatives, to expand the “Buy America” provisions to include defenserelated machine tools, hardware and electronics. Soon, that legislation will be considered in the U.S. Senate. In late August 2008, 17 U.S. aerospace suppliers warned Congress that if the “Buy America” provisions in the House Bill became law, foreign governments would retaliate by boycotting U.S. military exports. If we must take such a threat seriously, America is already too dependent on foreign suppliers for its essential defense. We think that a secure America depends on secure domestic supplies for U.S. Armed Forces. We think manufacturing in America matters. Mr. Choate is director of the Washington, D.C.-based Manufacturing Policy Project.
