Ray Johnson, CTO of Lockheed Martin
2012 is fast approaching, and with it comes big changes in the Federal IT industry. WashingtonExec is giving local executives the opportunity to share their thoughts on where they see the government contracting industry headed. Leaders of the industry were asked a series of predictions questions focused on challenging issues such as cloud computing, healthcare IT, defense and so forth.
Lockheed Martin CTO Ray Johnson spoke with WashingtonExec about the “new reality” of government contracting. Johnson also compared past global security challenges to those faced by the U.S. defense community today.
Ray Johnson: “In 2012, we anticipate that all components of government will endure further resource constraints, and as such, they will look for continued cost reduction. While the coupling of increased global security demands with shrinking financial resources is a challenge, industry must view this ‘New Reality’ as an opportunity to apply innovation as well as cost cutting. Throughout our nation’s history, we have turned to innovation to solve our most difficult challenges. We must now use innovation to develop affordable solutions to our global security challenges.
This coming year, the Lockheed Martin Corporation will celebrate a significant milestone in our history of providing innovative security solutions. The year 2012 marks 100 years since the founding of both the Glenn L. Martin Aircraft Company and the Alco Hydro-Aeroplane Company, established by Allan and Malcolm Lockheed. Our Corporation’s namesake pioneers consistently rose to the challenge during times of financial austerity. In 1932, as the Dow reached the lowest point during the Great Depression, the Martin B-10 became the first all-metal monoplane mass-produced by the United States Army Air Corps.
Today, the nature of global security has expanded to include cyber security, energy, healthcare, and climate change. As 2012 brings additional financial pressures, collaboration on global security solutions will become even more important. I anticipate more partnership opportunities – collaboration between government, industry, and academia. As an industry, we will need to explore new business models that support these new markets. Concurrently, government must take measures to protect intellectual property and create regulatory policies and tax structures that reward innovation.
During these challenging economic times and increasing security demands, the companies that meet these affordability challenges with innovative solutions will have a significant competitive advantage.”
