Bethesda, MD, 21-JAN-04 -- Lockheed Martin today endorsed President Bush's Jobs for the 21st Century Initiative announced during the President's State of the Union Address.

Lockheed Martin welcomes and endorses this important initiative that calls for increased educational support and focus on math and science skills in our schools, Vance Coffman, Chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin, said. We are prepared to work with our counterparts in the defense and aerospace industry to address this important issue.

Numerous reports, studies and commissions have highlighted the need for an increased educational focus on math and science disciplines, especially at the K-12 level. This increased focus is necessary in order to reverse the decline in, and promote the growth of, a scientifically and technologically trained U.S. workforce. This breakdown of America's intellectual and industrial capacity is viewed by some as a threat to our national security and our status as a world leader.

Our students are losing interest in math and science at a younger age and as a result, fewer students are pursuing math, science, engineering and technology, Coffman said. We must encourage our children in math and science and expose them to the excitement of invention, engineering, discovery, and problem solving.

Lockheed Martin has been a supporter of the President's national educational reform initiative, No Child Left Behind, since its announcement two years ago. The Corporation has also taken part in the business community's push for educational standards, assessment and accountability since it began in the early 1990s and has taken a leadership role in bringing together business leaders and educators to improve education in the United States in an effort to maintain the country's competitive economic advantage.

Lockheed Martin has been involved in educational issues related to encouraging science and math instruction and enthusiasm at many levels. The Corporation is an active member of the Business Roundtable's education task force and has supported reform in many of the states across the country including Maryland, where the corporate headquarters is located. Maryland has been one of the high performance states in the introduction of high stakes accountability in the schools.

The Corporation's leadership also was a member of the 2002 President's Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry where the issue of workforce development and education was directly addressed. According to the final report of the Commission, Our policymakers need to acknowledge that the nation's apathy toward developing a scientifically and technologically trained workforce is the equivalent of intellectual and industrial disarmament, and is a direct threat to our nation's capability to continue as a world leader.

Lockheed Martin is committed to working with the Administration on this important educational initiative outlined by the President in his State of the Union remarks.