A prolonged shut down of spare parts production potentially endangers Army readiness. There's no way Sikorsky can maintain a high rate of production without the Teamsters on the line.
The big question going forward is how intensive the military commitment to Iraq remains. If it stays at current levels, then the Army is facing a recruiting challenge every month for years to come.
You have to wonder where the Army thinks it's going after Iraq.
The government should never have tried to develop one system to meet the very different needs of the Army and Navy.
Having already gone through a bad aircraft choice once, the Army wants to make absolutely certain that this time it picks the right aircraft.