Following World War II, the American aerospace industry underwent a significant transformation from an industry that primarily depended on federal government military orders and mail contract subsidies to one that increasingly relied on the civilian sector and the construction of passenger aircraft. Nevertheless, the government had a central stake in the aircraft industry's success: the Soviet threat required assembly lines for military aircraft that remained constantly open, and the flow of aerospace products could not be halted or even slowed for long periods of time without posing dangers to national security.

New technologies and the need to surpass the Soviet Union's military capabilities dictated industry practices that had not existed in the years between World Wars I and II. Aerospace manufacturers now had to retain skilled workers, keep plant space and equipment available, and conduct ongoing research and development (R&D) on weapons, all the while...