"We are grateful to Secretary England and Secretary Young for meeting with us today to discuss our concerns about the future of both the Brunswick Naval Air Station and the Kittery Portsmouth Naval Shipyard," Senators Snowe and Collins and Representatives Allen and Michaud said in a joint statement following the meeting. "We emphasized that NASB, the last remaining active duty military airfield in the Northeast, is a modern facility which has benefited from $100 million in investments over the last decade. We stressed that NASB is advantageously positioned for surveillance and interdiction, including vessels carrying WMD into the Northeast's major ports and cities. Secretary England and Assistant Secretary Young also understand our belief that KPNSY, the best performing shipyard in the country, public or private, should not bear the brunt of these reductions but rather the Navy should do all it can to give Portsmouth as much work as possible. The Secretaries pledged that based on the concerns we raised, they will closely reexamine the Navy's current plans for future submarine maintenance."
The Members commented following their 2:00 p.m. meeting with Secretaries England and Young at the Russell Senate Office Building. The meeting was another in a series of initiatives the Members have jointly undertaken on behalf of NASB and KPNSY. The delegation members gave Secretary England a copy of the NASB Task Force's report and a white paper on the base's essential role in homeland defense and maritime interdiction. The delegation also strongly criticized the Navy''s planned reduction of workload at PNSY beginning in Fiscal Year 2009 as unjustifiable and unfair calling instead for the Navy to assign KPNSY a full workload, equitably dividing work among the four public shipyards.
"Maine's two naval installations at Brunswick and Kittery are strategically vital to our nation's defenses, their missions remain critically important to our Armed Forces and their exemplary performance records have earned both a long and prosperous future," the delegation Members told Secretary England. "Both bases have highly skilled workforces, creative and innovative management and outstanding performance histories that merit the Navy Department's support and commendation. We will continue to present a united front with the Navy and will take every opportunity available to advocate for both NASB and KPNSY."
###