The latest change in the months-long process of building next year’s national defense bill could bring more work to Bath Iron Works in the coming years.
Maine 2nd District Congressman Jared Golden co-sponsored an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, now before the House Armed Services Seapower Subcommittee, that would authorize constructing a third Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in 2022 and provide advance procurement funding for a third Arleigh Burke in 2023.
The National Defense Authorization Act is an annual policy bill that directs how federal funds should be used by the Defense Department, but it doesn’t dictate which companies will win the contracts to build military infrastructure.
Arleigh Burkes are the primary type of warship BIW makes for the Navy. Only one other shipyard in the country, Mississippi-based Huntington Ingalls, constructs Arleigh Burkes. Historically, when Congress approves multiple ships in a year, BIW and Huntington Ingalls share the work.
“Authorizing two more (Arleigh Burke-class) destroyers over the next two years would be great news for our shipbuilding workforce at BIW,” Golden wrote in a statement Wednesday. “These (Arleigh Burke-class destroyers) — the most versatile in our fleet — are key to our country’s national security interests at sea. I strongly support this bipartisan amendment because it will make necessary investments that help the American Navy keep us safe, protect thousands of good jobs in Maine, and prepare our shipyards and shipbuilders for the future.”
