The United States Navy has drafted a 30-year shipbuilding plan and provided the Congress with relevant information tables from the plan. Despite numerous struggles with the budget cuts and the sequester, the US Navy is persistent in pursuing the fleet modernization plan, the ultimate target being at least 306 ships.
Unless Congress takes action, the U.S. economy will be hit with harmful automatic cuts that threaten hundreds of thousands of middle class jobs. In concrete, many of the 5,000 companies and small businesses from across the country that supply Newport News Shipbuilding with parts and equipment will be impacted, which will affect the firm’s productivity.
The threat of these cuts has already forced the Navy to cancel the deployment and delay the repair of certain aircraft carriers, and postpone building of additional vessels. If the cuts are implemented, numerous workers will be forced to take unpaid leave from their jobs, creating a ripple effect on thousands of other jobs.
[mappress] Press Release, April 24, 2013