The military and the industrial base are mutually dependent – they rely on each other. Without the demand from warfighters and the funding from taxpayer dollars, the U.S. defense industry wouldn’t exist. Likewise, with the industry providing essential capabilities to safeguard America, the country itself would be at risk.
Delays in funding – lack of stable, predictable, timely funding is devastating to the health of longstanding partners in the defense industrial base like our local shipyards and suppliers – who are critical to and dependent upon the mission of national security.
Since 2010, we’ve lost nearly five years in total to continuing resolutions – stopgap measures that are really half-measures inhibiting starting new programs, compressing time to do acquisition work for awarding contracts, and robbing critical momentum forcing stand still while our adversaries move to modernize their militaries and work to outpace us.
The FY’24 Defense Appropriations Bill passed Congress in the latter part of March and included $33 billion for new shipbuilding where our local ship repair industry will benefit. But, the delay had already been devastating – it was five and half months late, and required four continuing resolutions, freezing spending at the prior year’s levels.
No amount of money can buy that time back. It’s impossible to compete, and outcompete our adversaries with one hand tied behind our back three, four, five, or six months of every fiscal year.
It is critically important that the budget is passed on time, and last week some of our local members of congress emphasized exactly that at the Navy League of the Unites States, Hampton Roads Congressional Roundtable Luncheon. It was an honor to hear from Rep. Rob Wittman (VA-01), Rep. Jen Kiggans (VA-02), Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-03), and Rep. Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) as they shared insights crucial to our industry’s future.
Check out the related 13NEWSNOW piece where, Técnico President & CEO, Ray Wittersheim emphasized the impact that delay had for the local shipyards and their suppliers – “That means there’s no new work, there’s no new availabilities. The money is the money. That impacts what we’re trying to do.”
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One Team. Better Every Day. United in supporting America’s ship repair industry.
