Conversion and the import problem: a confluence of opportunities

The defense electronics industry is again faced with the prospect of cutbacks, which brings the problem of its conversion once more to the fore. At the same time, the growth of imports presages sharp competition for U.S. industry for the products it can devise to take up the slack. Further, the electronics industry has a quality problem, in its military, industrial, and consumer sectors. In this article, the writer suggests that the industry's displaced technical talent should be organized to tackle systematically its scientific, engineering, and economic problems in order to put it ahead once more. As a vehicle of change, he proposes a National Technology Foundation to oversee the program and to undertake tasks now beyond the scope of individual companies.