Keystone Today

Many people don’t think much about how products are produced. For most of us, we see a product on the shelf, step onto an airplane, or get into our vehicles without a thought about where they came from or the people who brought these things to life. 

That’s changing now due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As retailers, restaurants, and so many other businesses within various supply chains struggle to keep operations afloat during these hard times, all of us can see clearly just how important America’s supply chains are. 

This is particularly true in the area of national defense. For more than two decades, I inspected parts from suppliers across the country that manufactured various pieces of critical national defense equipment, including the CH-47 Chinook helicopter. 

My work with these small and medium supplier companies was a daily reminder that our national defense, and the economy, depend on their success. 

It’s essential that this is clear to lawmakers as they make funding decisions now and in the coming months to curb the economic damage caused by COVID-19. 

The Chinook program is a good example of what’s at stake. Here in the Philadelphia area, folks are familiar with this first-in-class helicopter. Its production at Ridley Park employs thousands of people here in the region and throughout the state. 

In fact, there are nearly 40 supplier companies in Pennsylvania that contribute to the Chinook’s production. 

These companies are now facing facts that if the Chinook program doesn’t receive adequate federal funding, they face the prospect of closing their doors permanently. 

The problem wouldn’t be unique to Pennsylvania supplier companies. It would impact hundreds of companies and tens of thousands of workers throughout the United States. 

One critical point to be made is that if some of these supplier companies are forced to close, the parts they manufacture will disappear. In some cases, it could take years or even decades to recover the capabilities in this country due to such closures. The big picture would be that new production of Chinooks would stop and maintaining currently-operating Chinooks would be nearly impossible. The national security and defense implications of that would be devastating. The Chinook helicopter is the U.S. Army’s workhorse. 

For more than 50 years, the Chinook has been the premier helicopter for soldier and cargo transportation. It has unparalleled helicopter mobility capabilities that are critical to troop safety currently in Middle Eastern war zones just as it had back in the Vietnam War. The Chinook is also a mainstay for civilian missions, including disaster relief, search and rescue, and firefighting. Should this vital program be delayed, it would not only be an economic disaster, but the soldiers who depend on the Chinook to carry out missions successfully would have less ability to carry out their missions. During this time of uncertainty, there’s no room to gamble with our defense capabilities. Further, it should be a top priority for lawmakers to support successful programs that employ workers and keep businesses operating. 

The Philadelphia region, our state, and the country simply cannot afford to lose the industrial capabilities and economic prosperity that come with the Chinook program. 

– Bob Sadusky began his career in aerospace as a deburrer in 1986. He moved to various numerical controlled machining positions before finally settling in on his true calling in inspection. During his more than 24 years with Boeing in Philadelphia, he worked on every program including the CH-46 Sea Knight, the CH-47 Chinook, the V-22 Osprey, and everything in between until his retirement as a precision inspector in 2010. Bob is a proud Vietnam Veteran and a member of many veteran organizations including Vietnam Veterans of America, DAV, VFW, and AMVETS.