For Immediate Release
Press Release CDR Chip Laingen, USN (Ret.)
Defense Alliance of Minnesota St. Paul, Minnesota

Defense Alliance and BAE Systems Host Defense Industry Roundtable with Minnesota Senators Dayton and Coleman

St. Paul, MN, 10/17/05 – the Defense Alliance of Minnesota and BAE Systems hosted the state’s Defense Industry Roundtable on Monday, 17 October. Minnesota’s senators, Mark Dayton and Norm Coleman participated in the morning session at BAE Systems’ plant on East River Road in Minneapolis, along with more than 150 people from business, industry and the Army Guard and Reserve.

The Defense Industry Roundtable began at 8:00 am, and included a "meet and greet" breakfast, and a forum with Minnesota’s senators. Opening remarks and discussion about the state of the industry were provided by: Paul J. Wagner, CEO of Minnesota Wire & Cable Co. and founder of the Defense Alliance; Edward Wink, Associate Vice President of Sponsored Projects at the University of Minnesota; Betsy Lulfs, Small Business Innovation Research Coordinator for the state; Tom Wyrobek, President of Hysitron, Inc.; and Jim Unterseher, Director of Army Programs at BAE Systems.

Senators Dayton and Coleman complimented the Defense Alliance for keeping the state’s industry network strong, and urged the membership to continue its effort in bringing high-technology solutions to our service men and women on the front lines. In response to a question about the size of the defense budget in the years ahead, Senator Dayton, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that the Department of Defense would receive what it needs to fight, but warned that other pressing public requirements are beginning to seriously burden the federal budget.

The event was the latest in a quarterly meeting schedule for the Defense Alliance, a forum for those involved in the state’s defense and homeland security industries, from small businesses, to defense prime contractors like BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and Alliant Techsystems. Previous events have included a Medical-Defense Roundtable at the University of Minnesota with the Army’s Director of Combat Casualty Care, and a trade show style event in January with Minnesota’s Governor Tim Pawlenty.

Also present at Monday’s event were representatives from two service member support organizations: Skip Krawczyk spoke about the Minnesotan’s Military Appreciation Fund (MMAF), a private initiative raising funds for directs grants to Minnesota Veterans of the War on Terror; and former Army Ranger Andrew Davis described the efforts of Comfort for Courage, a non-partisan student-led group that provides comfort goods to deployed Soldiers.

The Defense Alliance is an independent organization whose mission is to nurture and expand Minnesota’s defense and homeland security industries, to create and retain high quality jobs, and to further promote the state’s important contributions to our men and women of the armed forces. Information on ongoing issues and future events can be found at the Alliance website, www.defensealliance.com.

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