U.S. aerospace and defense CEOs unite behind COVID vaccine mandate -statement

US Aerospace

23/09/2021 20:04

By Mike Stone
    WASHINGTON, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Leaders of the largest
United States aerospace and defense companies are united in
their effort to comply with the Biden administration's
coronavirus vaccine mandate for U.S. workers and await further
government guidance, their industry group said in a statement
seen by Reuters on Thursday.
    Last week major defense contractor Raytheon Technologies
Corp  RTX.N , the maker of Tomahawk missiles, mandated its
125,000 U.S. employees get vaccinated after President Joe Biden
announced policies requiring employers with more than 100
workers to have them inoculated or tested weekly. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-deliver-six-step-plan-covid-19-pandemic-2021-09-09
  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2QH2UK
    The Aerospace Industries Association's board, chaired by
Northrop Grumman's NOC.N  chief Kathy Warden, includes the CEOs
of Lockheed Martin Co LMT.N , Leidos Holdings Inc LDOS.N ,
General Dynamics Corp GD.N  and Raytheon Technologies. 
    "America's aerospace and defense industry stands together as
we prepare to implement the new federal vaccine requirement,
while working with our government partners as they develop
detailed guidance," Eric Fanning, the association's president,
said in the statement seen by Reuters.
    "Throughout the pandemic, AIA members have expanded benefits
and implemented extensive measures designed to prevent the
spread of COVID-19 as our essential work continued," Fanning
said.
    The U.S. Defense Department has spent more than $13 billion
to shore up finances among defense contractors that experienced
a fall-off in revenue as a result of the pandemic, a Pentagon
spokeswoman said.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2EF1ML
    

 (Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Howard
Goller)
 ((mike.stone1@thomsonreuters.com; https://twitter.com/MichaelStone;))