Wes Bush, CEO of Northrop Grumman, has said he believes that public-private alliances can help drive national security innovation in the current fiscal environment, Defense News reported Tuesday.
“To me, research and development is a partnership issue,” Bush told an audience at a Center for Strategic and International Studies-hosted panel discussion Tuesday in Washington.
He added that government budget cuts hamper not only technology programs, but also efforts to develop science, mathematics, technology and engineering talent, according to Defense News.
Jill Aitoro of the Washington Business Journal reports that Bush also noted in the forum that companies have delivered technology platforms to the U.S. Defense Department with the help of military program funds.
He told his audience that although commercial technology offers value for defense agencies, he believes it should never be a substitute for defense R&D initiatives.