Guerts: Preserve shipbuilding

ARLINGTON, Va. - James F. Geurts, the Navy’s top acquisition official, said the service is focused on sustaining its shipbuilding industrial base and their work force. Those shipyards are critical to the Navy’s shipbuilding programs. Geurts, speaking July 30 to reporters during a teleconference, responded to a question about the Austal USA shipyard in Mobile, Ala. Austal produces Independence-class littoral combat ships and Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport ships, but their contract will end in the next few years. “I am absolutely interested in ensuring that we don’t lose large chunks of the industrial base (such as Austal) or others.” Geurts claimed that “restarting an industrial base (would be) really painful” and take a long time. “(W)e don’t have the time or resources to re-generate it later, when we need it.” He emphasized the value of the Defense Production Act in shoring up the industrial base. “We’ve been working with Austal to enhance their capabilities to be able to be effective for future ships,” he said. “So, that work is ongoing as a shared activity between the Navy and the shipbuilder (in Mobile) there.” Geurts was optimistic about the future of shipbuilding. “(I)t’s a heck of an exciting time here,” he said. The Navy has a great many new ship types to go build, both manned and unmanned, he stated. The “critical activity from my perspective” is ensuring there is an industrial base - shipyards and suppliers - are “ready to go so we can pivot and continue to expand the numbers and types of ships we’re building, and drive the cost out of those ships.” (Source: Seapower Magazine 07/30/20) https://seapowermagazine.org/geurts-navy-focused-on-preserving-shipbuilding-industrial-base/