Aerospace Industry Commission Set To Launch

ByJohn S. McClenahen A commission established by Congress last year to study the future of the U.S. aerospace industry expects to begin its work next month. President Bush has just announced his six-person list of intended appointments to the 12-member commission. The White House list includes John W. Douglass, president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Assn., Washington; Edward M. Bolen, president of the General Aviation Manufacturers Assn., Washington; and Edwin Eugene ("Buzz") Aldrin Jr., former astronaut and now president of Starcraft Enterprises. The six Congressional nominees for the panel include Robert J. Stevens, president and COO of Lockheed Martin Corp., Bethesda, Md., and R. Thomas Buffenbarger, president of the International Assn. of Machinists & Aerospace Workers. The commission is supposed to examine ways to increase U.S. aerospace access to the global economy, remove barriers to private-sector/pubic-sector cooperation, and continue reform of industry-government practices.