According to George Pickett of Northrop Grumman, "technology is just putting stuff on the table today, in the commercial marketplace and in the industrial world, at rates that did not exist in the 1950's."

Pickett, once one of the Pentagon's premier strategists, believes that "in 2050 we will still be the world's leading industrial power . . . [because] this country and the people in it are just remarkably good at reshaping what they do and what this country does to respond to where the world is going.

"Skills have become increasingly important to firms. The ability to tap and find the skilled people in the organization that can work your particular problem and make things happen, that becomes extremely important," explains Pickett.

"We expect turnover," says Pickett. "Where somebody may have changed major skill fields three times in their life, they're more likely to change them seven times now."

With 54 being the average age of an employee in the defense sector, Pickett points out turnover and skill development take on a sudden urgency.

"Skilled workers are going to have a lot more power in the marketplace," explains Pickett.

"How do you tap those skills? How do you develop those skills? And how do you bring those skills along?" asks Pickett.