Senator Collins: I Oppose the Administration’s Strategy that Would Allow the First Ships in New Classes of U.S. Navy Vessels to be Built Overseas

BANGOR, ME – U.S. Senator Susan Collins released the following statement in opposition to the Administration’s new directive on Navy shipbuilding: “I strongly support the goal of strengthening our Navy and expanding America’s shipbuilding capacity. It is a national security imperative and has been a priority of mine throughout my Senate service. “I oppose, however, the Administration’s strategy that would allow the first ships in new classes of U.S. Navy vessels to be built overseas, placing foreign companies in a leading role in shaping the design, technology, and production of our future fleet. Although subsequent ships would be built in the United States, they would be based on designs and constructed using shipbuilding techniques licensed by foreign companies. “For generations in the great state of Maine, the highly skilled men and women at Bath Iron Works have built some of the finest warships in the world. We should be investing in their experience, expanding the capacity of American shipyards, and ensuring that American workers remain at the center of our efforts to rebuild the Navy. “Cooperation with our allies can bring valuable investment and new technologies to the United States. But those partnerships should result in more ships being built in America by American workers, not fewer. I will continue to fight to secure federal funding for Bath Iron Works, strengthen America’s maritime industrial base, and stand behind the thousands of men and women whose work is essential to our national security.” ###