Navy Shipbuilding: Workforce Shortages, Cost Overruns, and Solutions

Navy Shipbuilding Workforce Challenges

• ⚠️ Reports highlight significant workforce shortages in the US shipbuilding industrial base, particularly in skilled labor.
• 🎯 These shortages risk continued delays and increased costs in delivering necessary vessels.
• 🎯 The Navy is implementing a three-pronged approach: attracting, training, and retaining a skilled workforce.

Addressing Labor Shortages

• 🚀 A campaign like buildsubmarines.com has generated 2.7 million job applications, aiming to attract new talent.
• 🤝 Training initiatives involve partnerships between shipbuilders, public shipyards, community colleges, and supply chain partners.
• 💰 Retention efforts include addressing the wage gap for critical nuclear ship personnel and improving supervisor training to combat inexperienced leadership.

Cost Overruns in Shipbuilding

• 📈 Senator Hirono questioned officials about massive cost overruns and inaccurate cost estimations for ships.
• 🎯 The Navy acknowledges the importance of good cost estimates for informing processes and business cases.
• 🔍 The Navy utilizes independent cost estimates, collaborates with entities like CBO, and seeks multiple inputs to improve estimate fidelity and budgets.
• ✅ Efforts are underway to improve cost efficiency and performance at shipbuilders, addressing the second half of the cost overrun issue.