Senator Wrote Letter Urging Participation of Assistant Secretary
Senator Wrote Letter Urging Participation of Assistant Secretary
Washington DC- Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) announced that he has secured the participation of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Acquisitions, Technology and Logistics, Heidi Shyu, in the upcoming Showcase for Commerce event in Johnstown. Senator Casey wrote a letter to the Assistance Secretary urging her to participate in the event making the case that it would be an excellent representation of the region’s business community that has a long standing history of supporting the defense industry.
“I’m pleased that Assistant Secretary Shyu has accepted my invitation to come to the Showcase for Commerce,” Senator Casey said. “This year’s event will put on display the Johnstown area’s skilled workforce and successful companies. I’m looking forward to this year’s Showcase and am confident that the Assistant Secretary’s participation will contribute to its success.”
The full text of Casey’s letter is below:
The Honorable Heidi Shyu
Assistant Secretary for Acquisitions, Technology and Logistics
U.S. Department of Defense
1300 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301
Dear Assistant Secretary Shyu:
For more than twenty years, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, has hosted the very successful defense expo-Showcase for Commerce- which was established under the late Congressman John P. Murtha. It is a recognized business and defense industry trade show exhibition that has allowed the growth and development of the small business community in Pennsylvania.
Earlier this year, I announced my commitment to act as the Congressional lead in coordinating this successful event. As Congressional lead, I respectfully request your participation as the Keynote Speaker for the Program Executive Officer Luncheon on Thursday, May 30, 2013. We expect to have more than 150 regional, national and international defense organizations participating this year. It is my hope that participants, will come away from your remarks with a sense of what they can expect from the Pentagon and what the Pentagon expects of them in the coming years.
For many years, the Pentagon and our military services have successfully partnered with Pennsylvania companies to provide products and equipment and to advance technology for our warfighters. For example, the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), located in Blairsville, PA was recently awarded a contract to manage the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Initiative (NAMII). As you know, NAMII is a joint agency effort which will serve as a nationally recognized additive manufacturing center of innovation excellence in the tri-state region. NCDMM has long served the regional and national defense manufactures and will again participate in this year’s Showcase. NCDMM is type of innovative organization you can expect to find at Showcase, and your participation would allow them, and others to get a better understanding what types of efforts and partnerships the department is moving towards.
It has been a pleasure to work with you on a number of issues over the past year, including strengthening our army depots in Pennsylvania. As we rebalance of our forces, ensuring a robust and flexible defense industrial base that can smoothly transition between war and peace times must be a focus. Your insight and unique perspective would help Pennsylvania companies continue to produce for our nation's security, which is why I hope that you can join me at this year’s Showcase for Commerce.
Sincerely,
Robert P. Casey, Jr.
United States Senate
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