Letter to The Honorable Kelly Ayotte, United States Senator, The Honorable Frank Guinta, United States Representative, The Honorable Ann McLane Kuster, United States Representative - Naval Shipyard Funding

Letter

I write in support of Senator Shaheen's bill to provide for the repair, recapitalization, and certification of dry docks at Naval shipyards (S.2853), and to ask you to actively support this legislation, which is critical to our national security and to the workers of our state. I also urge you to remain vigilant and fight back against any effort to close the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is responsible for the overhaul, repair and modernization of Virginia- and Los Angeles-class submarines -- a crucial contribution to our country's security efforts. These nuclear-powered attack submarines perform a variety of critical missions, and it is essential to keep our submarine fleet well-maintained and up-to-date.

A recent report found that the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard employs 6,099 people, with a civilian payroll of $482 million and a total economic impact of over $732 million in 2015. The Shipyard's highly-skilled workers have earned a national reputation for excellence, and the critical work they undertake day in and day out contributes to our country's security and our state's economic vitality.

There have been recent warning signs that there may be a renewed push for another Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) round in the near future. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard's critical mission and strong national reputation should ensure its continued operation, but I urge you to remain alert to the possibility of closure efforts and forcefully fight back against any effort to reduce operations at the Shipyard.

Dry docks at shipyards around the country are essential to the work of servicing our Navy fleet. The Navy has determined that it will not be able to maintain this fleet going forward under current dry dock capacity constraints. Estimates suggest that the Navy will need to invest over $2 billion in dry dock facilities around the country in order to address this concern.

Senator Shaheen's legislation would authorize funding for the repair, recapitalization and certification of these important Naval dry docks -- including those at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. This funding would come in addition to funding for other projects at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard already approved this year by the Senate Appropriations Committee. We must ensure that the dry dock facilities at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard enable our workers to complete their essential work -- including ensuring that all of the dry docks at the Shipyard are capable of supporting Virginia-class submarines.

Senator Shaheen's bill is a crucial measure for our country's defense and for our state, and I urge you to do whatever is in your power to support this important effort -- and to fight any effort to reduce operations at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Thank you for your consideration.

Source