Trade associations have for many years been an important channel for corporate Government relations in Washington. Created to promote industry-wide coordination on such items as common standards, their development was encouraged by the Federal Government. Trade associations are uniquely suited for such purposes—they carry the weight of the industry without speaking on behalf of the specific interests of any one company. Relations between trade associations and the Congress, traditional lobbying, are less clear. Only three of the associations surveyed—the Aerospace Industries Association, the Shipbuilders Council of America, and the National Council of Technical Service Industries, have registered lobbyists. The lack of registered lobbyists, however, reflects the inadequacy of the existing definition of lobbying rather than any lack of effort on the part of the trade associations. One Pentagon official noted, “As a social unit, they are an incredible force to be reckoned with by Congress.”