Maintaining a Strong Defense-Industrial Workforce

The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) hosted a panel discussion on the challenges to the nation of maintaining a healthy defense industrial workforce in an era when sequestration requires deep cuts in defense budgets. Moderated by Michèle Flournoy, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Co-Chair, CNAS Board of Directors, the panel included:

Major General Arnold Punaro, USMC (Ret.) - Chief Executive Officer, The Punaro Group

The Honorable Christine Fox, Director, Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, Office of the Secretary of Defense; and

David Herr, Executive Vice President, Service Sectors, BAE  Systems, Inc.

View coverage of the event here.

Date & Time

Monday, September 30, 2013
4:45 p.m.: Guest Registration
5:00-6:30 p.m.: Remarks, Panel Discussion and Audience Q&A
6:30-7:00 p.m.: Cocktail Reception

Location

The Willard InterContinental Hotel's Crystal Room
1401 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20004

About the Panelists

The Honorable Michèle Flournoy is Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and a senior adviser at the Boston Consulting Group.  She served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from February 2009 to February 2012. She was the principal adviser to the Secretary of Defense in the formulation of national security and defense policy, oversight of military plans and operations, and in National Security Council deliberations. She also led the development of the Department of Defense’s (DOD) new Strategic Guidance. Prior to confirmation, Ms. Flournoy co-led President Obama’s transition team at DOD.
In January 2007, Ms. Flournoy co-founded CNAS. She served as CNAS’ President until 2009. Previously, she was senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies for several years and, prior to that, a distinguished research professor at the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University.

The Honorable Christine H. Fox is a Principal Technical Advisor at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. In the role, Ms. Fox provides strategic advice and counsel across the Lab's sponsors and stakeholders.Ms. Fox formerly served as the Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. She served as the principal staff assistant to the secretary of defense for analyzing and evaluating plans, programs and budgets in relation to U.S. defense objectives and resource constraints.   Ms. Fox possesses nearly three decades of experience as an analyst and research manager focusing on defense issues, particularly operations.  She formerly served as the president of the Center for Naval Analyses and as the scientific analyst to the Chief of Naval Operations. Prior to her appointment as president of CNA, Ms. Fox was the Vice President and Director of CNA’s Operations Evaluation Group, responsible for approximately 85 field representatives focused on helping operational commanders execute their missions.  She oversaw CNA’s analysis of real-world operations, including the operations in Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990s, the operation in Afghanistan in response to the September 11 attacks, and the operation in Iraq in early 2003. 

David Herr is the executive vice president of the Service Sectors for BAE Systems, Inc., and a member of the Executive Committee of BAE Systems plc.  Mr. Herr is responsible for articulating and executing a vision that drives optimal business performance across the Service Sectors, which consist of Intelligence & Security and Support Solutions, which collectively employ approximately 19,300 people with major operations in the United States, Germany, Korea, the United Kingdom, and in theater in Afghanistan. Previously, Mr. Herr served as vice president of Commercial Avionics for BAE Systems’ Platform Solutions business, which succeeded his roles as vice president of operations for the company’s former Electronics & Integrated Solutions operating group and vice president of operations for Platform Solutions. Prior to joining BAE Systems, he held positions at General Electric Aircraft Engines and Lockheed Martin.

Major General Arnold L. Punaro, USMC (Ret.) is chief executive of the Washington-based consulting firm The Punaro Group, LLC. In this role, he was listed on the inaugural Defense News list of the “100 Most Influential People in U.S. Defense” published in December 2012. Formerly an executive vice president at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) from 1997 to 2010, he was the senior corporate official responsible for SAIC's government affairs, worldwide communications and support operations. On September 1, 2011, he was named by Secretary of Defense Panetta to chair the Reserve Forces Policy Board which serves as an independent advisor to the Secretary of Defense on Reserve and Guard matters. He is a member on the Defense Business Board (DBB), and recently chaired a DBB task force on reforming the DOD acquisition system. In 2010, he chaired a DBB task force for Secretary of Defense Gates on reducing DOD overhead. 
General Punaro serves on the boards of the Atlantic Council, the National Defense Industrial Association, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, and the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs Board of Visitors.