Submarine Industrial Base Council (SIBC)

"The White House on Tuesday released a statement taking aim at several measures in the House’s fiscal 2025 defense policy bill ahead of votes scheduled for later this week. While the statement praised the House Armed Services Committee for its “strong, bipartisan” work on the $884 billion bill, it raised objections to some of its provisions on shipbuilding, the creation of an Army drone corps, missile defense, and pricing transparency for defense contractors. . . .For instance, the draft FY25 defense spending bill – which the Appropriations Committee is set to mark up on Thursday – does not fund the policy bill’s $1 billion authorization in incremental funding for a second Virginia-class attack submarine. In doing so, defense appropriators have sided with the White House and Navy in their decision to fund the procurement of just one Virginia-class submarine for FY25 due to production delays instead of the usual two vessels. “The authorization of incremental funding for a second [Virginia-class submarine] would result in a significant unplanned bill in FY26, competing for funding with additional [submarine industrial base investments] and Columbia-class submarines,” noted the White House statement. “This will force the Navy to make reductions in other priorities to accommodate the balance of funds for the second FY25″ submarine. Instead, the Biden administration “encourages Congress to fully support the near-term submarine industrial base investments proposed in the president’s FY25 budget request.”

As the U.S. Navy Submarine Industrial Base recruits and trains the next generation of skilled tradespeople, we're excited to partner with SME to address critical gaps in the defense manufacturing workforce. Together, we will upskill the current workforce, raise industry awareness, expand the ready-to-hire talent pool, and inspire the next generation of manufacturing talent. Learn more about our efforts: bit.ly/3Ku5eki

. . .Congratulations to all the new hires and participants! Your skills and passion are the driving force behind the bright future of American shipbuilding. Together, we are building a brighter future for our community and nation. To learn more about the transformative work of the Talent Pipeline Program, visit our website: www.dibtalentpipeline.com

How the Navy's New Columbia-class Submarine Will Save the World "The United States’ nuclear deterrence strategy is built on a triad of land, air, and sea-based nuclear capabilities. The Air Force maintains the land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles and air-launched cruise missiles, while the Navy is responsible for the sea-based weaponry. In the event of a nuclear conflict, an enemy’s first strike could potentially incapacitate the U.S.'s ground and air-launched systems. However, the U.S.'s deterrence strategy remains robust due to its sea-based systems, which ensure a second-strike capability - the capacity to retaliate."

Earlier this week, we celebrated our 3rd Annual Connecticut High Schools Signing Day, honoring the dedicated students who will be joining Electric Boat as tradesmen and tradeswomen after graduation! Over 200 students (and counting) from Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts have accepted offers to join us at our Groton, CT facility. We are immensely proud of this future generation of shipbuilders and look forward to welcoming them as they embark on their careers. Last night marked the beginning of their journey toward a rewarding career and the shared responsibility of protecting our sailors, our families, and our freedom🇺🇸 We extend our congratulations to Ella T. Grasso Southeastern Technical High School for winning our annual Signing Day Award, which is presented to the school with the highest percentage of graduating students accepting offers to join Electric Boat. We also extend our gratitude to Grasso Tech for hosting this event and to all the participating teachers, administrators, and school counselors for their invaluable assistance and, more importantly, their unwavering and overwhelming support of the students. Thank you to EB leadership, EB Union leadership, the EB Talent Acquisition team, and the EB Workforce Development team for making this Signing Day a huge success! An album will be posted later today on our Facebook page with all of the photos from this increbile event!

House lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are pushing back against the Pentagon’s proposal to fund the procurement of just one Virginia-class attack submarine in fiscal 2025 instead of two. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., Rob Wittman, R-Va., and 118 other lawmakers made the case in a May 1 letter to the chamber’s top defense appropriators as Congress drafts its FY25 defense budget.

Lawmakers push for two submarines despite US Navy seeking just one

BUDGET MATTERS: Representatives Float Virginia Supplemental

BlueForge Alliance team members were proud to take part in the 33rd Annual Submarine Industrial Base Council’s Supplier Days Conference last week. Together with government, industry, and military leaders, key discussions took place to ensure a next-generation workforce is in place to make our Navy’s next-generation submarines a reality. Plus, NASCAR’s BuildSubmarines.com #CarWithAMission was a big hit among the attendees.