The following op-ed originally appeared in The Roanoke Times

In 1957, the Soviet Union sent a satellite into space and claimed the lead over the United States in the space race, but America and the American people rose to the challenge and won the race to the moon. During my visit to India last month on the governor’s trade mission, I saw firsthand that this different kind of race in today’s global economy provides a challenge that is no less daunting.

Nations across the world are racing to pass us as we enter the second lap of this 21st century, and the stakes are nothing short of the future of the American economy. In response to that little basketball-sized satellite in 1957, America launched an unprecedented investment in education, created a new generation of scientists and engineers, launched our competitive space program to the moon, and built the foundation of the 21st-century technology economy.

If we are to win today’s global competition, we must make similar levels of investment in education and technology, in intellectual capital and in research and development.

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I was extremely honored to join a delegation of business, community and government leaders on the Governor’s trade mission to India at the end of April. I jointed the delegation led by Secretary of Commerce and Trade Pat Gottschalk and Secretary of Technology Aneesh Chopra. We sought out new investment opportunities for the Commonwealth and I sought to learn more about the challenges our state – and our nation – will face in this new 21st century economy.

In response to the Soviet Launch of Sputnik, the Kennedy Administration refocused on America’s most important priorities - investing in education, building a new generation of scientists and engineers, and launching our competitive space program to the Moon. The challenges we face this century are clearly not the same – but the resolve we’ll need to meet those challenges may well be greater.

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