WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today questioned a top Navy official about the transition to next-generation DDG (X) destroyers and necessary support for the program in the Naval budget request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. During this afternoon’s hearing of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower, Senator King strongly urged Mr. Frederick J. Stefany, Acting Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition to prioritize long-term investments in the defense industrial base – including Bath Iron Works—to avoid a ‘trough’ between contracted work, resulting in a likely loss of workers and threatening American national security.

“Having worked closely with Bath Iron Works and knowing of Ingalls’ work situation, we want to try to avoid a trough between the DDG Flight Three and the DDG (X). In other words, if these yards lose, welders they ain't coming back, there are just too many other places for them to go. So, we have to be thinking about the transition, so that it's a smooth one and not a loss of work, a loss of employment, during a two- or three-year period where one ship ends and the other starts. Do you see what I'm suggesting?” Senator King asked.

Assistant Secretary Stefany replied, “Yes, sir. Right where we are, we see it as a three-year period. And so, we'll have to be building DDG-51s and the new destroyer over that three-year transition period. And we're committed to do that. We're not going to stop 51s and then just immediately go to the new program, we're going to have this three-year overlap.”

“That's helpful, and I appreciate that. I was concerned there were only two DDGs in the President's budget. Part of we're talking about is the industrial base. Part of maintaining the industrial base is a consistent demand signal. That's why this committee recommended, and the Congress adopted, a 15-ship multiyear. So, I'm sure we're going to be discussing this in the committee, but, I'm hopeful that we're going to be able to add an additional destroyer,” Senator King concluded.

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Seapower Subcommittee, Senator King has long championed multi-year procurement contracts, and has repeatedly highlighted the necessity of these long-term contracts to Maine employers like BIW and PNSY. Last year, the Senator secured a multi-year contract in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act for the Navy to procure up to fifteen DDG-51s, which Bath Iron Works can compete to build – one of the largest forward commitments of its kind.