Economic conversion was once anathema to the military-industrial complex of Southern California, notably in conservative Orange County, where nearly 100,000 workers depend on defense-related jobs.

By some accounts, half of all defense-related jobs are now done by private employees.

Since the Pentagon does not want any more B-2's, the only explanation for expanding their production must be to protect defense-related jobs.

There are 200,000 people in California, for example, who've lost their defense-related jobs.

While the Federal civilian work force has risen by 250,000 people, to nearly three million, since the economic recovery began in 1982, most of this 8 percent increase has been in defense-related jobs.

Democrats say they have no choice but to protect defense-related jobs because the Administration won't replace defense expenditures with social spending.

The D'Amato campaign calculates that there are 400,000 defense-related jobs in the state.

These defense-related jobs are at companies like VIZ Manufacturing, which makes meteorological instruments.

Most town residents work in Bridgeport, Danbury, New Haven or Waterbury and many are in defense-related jobs at Sikorsky Aircraft in Stratford.

"But the big story is the hemorrhaging from the old defense-related jobs has stopped, and we have seen a re-emergence of companies that have gone beyond defense."