Appearing before the Commonwealth Club to help refute recent criticisms of the military-industrial complex, Robert Anderson argues that a close relationship between military and industry is critical for national defense. He states that President Eisenhower's outgoing address to the nation is widely taken out of context in these criticisms. Anderson is the CEO of North American Rockwell, which is a major aerospace companies involved in both commercial and government work. He supports greater U.S. government military spending, citing the United States' status as number two behind the Soviet Union in development of new weapons systems.