摘要: |
U.S. shipyards have the inherent ability and capacity to meet the congressio-nally-mandated goal of a 355-ship Navy set in 2018. They can efficiently serve all government and private customers for vessels-but only if Washington's procurement policies can mitigate "inconsistent demand signals" that disrupt that capacity and contribute to a permanent loss of skilled personnel. That was the message of Matt Paxton, president of the Shipbuilders' Council of America, in testimony before the House Armed Services Committee on February 8. The council represents 40 companies that own and operate shipyards across the nation and more than 100 industrial base partners. The committee's hearings are examining the state of the defense industrial base. |