BATH IRON WORKS TO BUILD TWO DDG-51s; SENATOR COLLINS FOUGHT TO PROTECT FUNDS

             U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a member of both the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, today announced that Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy, called to inform her that General Dynamics, parent company of Bath Iron Works (BIW) has been selected to build two DDG-51s.  Today, the Navy signed the construction contracts for the first, which is known as DDG-115.                "This is incredibly welcome news for BIW, its dedicated workforce, and for the State of Maine.  Once again, this confirms the high degree of confidence the Navy has in Bath Iron Works for delivering the highest quality ships for our nation’s sailors.  This will continue to support the skilled workforce at BIW while helping to meet our military requirements around the world," said Senator Collins.                During last year’s budget impasse, Senator Collins’ top priority was to ensure that Congress provided the necessary funding and certainty to enable the Navy to continue building the DDG-51.                “These ships were in jeopardy if the Navy would have been forced to operate under a long-term Continuing Resolution (CR).  I spoke out against the irresponsible idea of a long-term CR, and I offered the entire defense appropriations bill as an amendment to multiple bills on the Senate floor.  Today’s contract award of the DDG-115 is evidence of the fact that the Congress recognized the importance of funding these ships."               The announcement that BIW will build an additional DDG-51, which will be known as DDG-116, comes two weeks after the Senate Appropriations Committee provided $1.98 billion to fully fund the President's budget request for Fiscal Year 2012 for the DDG-51 program.  Senator Collins serves on the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee. The Senate Armed Services Committee draft of the FY12 National Defense Authorization Act, which Senator Collins supported, fully authorized the FY12 ship as well.               Recently, Senator Collins also announced that BIW and the Navy have signed contracts for the second and third DDG-1000 ships which will be built at Bath.               Background:                At Senator Collins’ request, the President’s Fiscal Year 2012 budget request included an additional DDG-51 in FY 2014.  Senator Collins wrote to the Office of Management and Budget about the importance of increasing the shipbuilding procurement rate for destroyers.  In addition, at Senator Collins' request, the report accompanying the Fiscal Year 2012 defense funding bill includes a requirement for the Secretary of the Navy to report to Congress on options for increasing the number of Navy's Ballistic Missile Defense capable ships, which include DDG-51s built at Bath Iron Works.  The report follows repeated testimony from U.S. combatant commanders that the demand for ballistic missile defense capabilities exceeds current supply.               Senator Collins has always been a stalwart supporter of BIW and has fought to secure appropriate funding for the DDG-51 restart program.  Senator Collins is the only member of the Maine delegation on two of the four congressional defense committees - the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee.  In this capacity, she has repeatedly urged Administration and Pentagon officials to maintain a shipbuilding rate necessary to reach the CNO’s stated goal of a minimum fleet of 313-ships.                During hearings and in personal meetings with Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisitions, Technology, and Logistics) Ashton Carter, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, and Assistant Secretary Sean Stackley, she has emphasized the importance of BIW to the nation's shipbuilding industrial base.    ###