Letter: Defense cuts would hurt Long Island

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has warned that additional cuts to the nation's defense spending would be devastating to national security ["Panetta: New threats loom," News, Oct. 25]. Congress has already cut $460 billion from the defense budget over the next decade; in November, the congressional supercommittee could allow an additional $600 billion in cuts. As a general manager who works locally in the defense industry, I agree that these additional cuts would be a mistake.

I work for Parker Aerospace's Electronic Systems Division, headquartered in Hauppauge. Our division provides fluid measurement and management systems, and electronic control products and systems, for the aerospace and industrial markets. Our equipment is used on virtually everything that flies.

Parker Aerospace employs nearly 600 in New York and 5,600 nationwide. The jobs we offer are well-paying, with good benefits. In this time of high unemployment, these are the kind of jobs that make our state and America strong economically and industrially.

I believe that Congress should preserve funding in the federal budget for defense, space and civil aviation and should resist calls for additional cuts. Such cuts would have a deleterious effect on the aerospace industry, degrading America's military capabilities, threatening our nation's position as a world leader in aerospace, and sacrificing many jobs.

Dennis Rice, Hauppauge