BATH, Maine — During a confirmation hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the U.S. Navy acknowledged to Sen. Angus King that Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are "the workhorse[s] of the Navy" and said that, if confirmed, he would seriously consider another multi-year contract for the ships in 2023.
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, also known as DDG-51s, are built by two shipyards, Bath Iron Works and Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi. They represent by far the bulk of the current workload at the Bath shipyard.
Retired Rear Adm. Kenneth Braithwaite is currently the U.S. ambassador to Norway. Trump nominated him to lead the Navy following the resignation in March of Thomas Moldy.
"Ambassador Braithwaite, you and I talked about the DDG being the workhorse of the Navy," King said.
"It is," Braithwaite responded.
"An important ship, a mature design," King said. "We're in the middle of a multi-year right now -- 2018-2022. I hope you will give serious consideration to a second multiyear starting in 2023 for two reasons: One, it's significant taxpayer savings when you buy in bulk, as you would; and also, it helps to ensure the stability of the industrial base. Will you commit to giving serious consideration to that possibility?"
"Absolutely Senator," Braithwaite replied. "The DDG 51, the greyhound of the fleet, truly is the backbone and is something we have relied upon as the department for the power projection that platform provides."
King also secured commitments from Braithwaite to work with Assistant Secretary of the Navy James F. Geurts and Under Secretary of Defense Ellen Lord to provide shipyards flexibility in contracts and perhaps additional funding to compensate shipyards for delays and to ensure shipyards are able to keep shipbuilders safe during the pandemic.
Braithwaite said he would do so, but said, "The impact has not been as great as I was concerned. I understand we're at about 80 percent and we will build back from that."
BIW on Thursday declined to comment on delays it has experienced as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
In a statement, the company said, "As we learned recently when BIW was not selected to build the lead ship of the FFG(X) class, we need to do a better job of maximizing efficiency, schedule and cost. We appreciate Sen. King’s support for continuing the DDG-51 program, which is vital to the success of our shipyard and provides critical capabilities for the U.S. Navy. We are committed to doing our part to meet the needs of the Navy and the nation."
Braithwaite said that, if confirmed, he would also work to ensure the safety of shipbuilders, who he praised for their "patriotism."
"Because the Navy has deemed these facilities essential, it's meant that their workers, mostly civilians, have gone to work, and had to," King continued. "I hope you will work with both the public yard officials but also the companies involved with the private yards to be sure that they have the capability to keep their workers safe under these circumstances and the flexibility in terms of production schedules and such in order to facilitate safe workplaces for these patriotic Americans that are going to work everyday to keep our country safe.
"I think if we've learned anything in this, senator, we've learned the fact that there are patriots in every sector of this country," Braithwaite responded.
Referring to healthcare workers who "have stepped up and put their lives at risk to serve others," he continued, "It's the same with the shipyard workers who have done the same. Many of us are able to quarantine ourselves. They have not been, and they have continued to be out there on the front lines, and have demonstrated like our men and women in uniform do every day their patriotism and their commitment to our national security. That is something that I hold [a] very sacred responsibility, if I'm confirmed, is to ensure for their safety as well."
Last week, King and U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) joined Democratic senators from Virginia, Alabama and Connecticut in sending a letter to leaders of the U.S. Senate and the Senate Appropriations Committee asking for federal funding to allow the Department of Defense to adjust contracts with shipbuilders such as Bath Iron Works that are experiencing delays due to the pandemic.
In the letter, senators wrote that defense department officials have estimated a three-month delay on average in major defense acquisition programs, particularly in ships and aviation programs.