Aerospace Engineers for Demilitarization (ASED) was created in 2024 in response to the continuation and escalation of the genocide in Gaza and the belief of members in the decoupling of the aerospace engineering industry from the military-industrial complex (MIC). The group was created to engender a sense of community and support for students in the aerospace engineering school at the University of Michigan who hold this belief, and who want to see both the college and the field sever their ties with the MIC.
The College of Engineering, and specifically the aerospace engineering program, is highly dependent on the MIC. With that in mind, group members needed a space where they felt safe and supported in discussing topics related to demilitarization.