GLOUCESTER, Va. — A leading military affairs voice in Congress is expressing concern about private industry's ability to keep pace with the Navy's shipbuilding needs.
In a recent Associated Press report, Congressional Budget Office Naval Analyst Eric Labs said Navy shipbuilding is in a "terrible state"--the worst, he said, in 25 years.
Labs said a labor shortage is one of the many challenges facing private shipyards--finding the workers and retaining them.
In April, the Hampton Roads Workforce Council said there are 10,000 openings in the regional maritime industry right now, and the number could climb to 40,000 by 2030.
House Armed Services Committee Vice Chairman Rep. Rob Wittman (R, VA-01) told 13 News Now that it's a big problem for national security.
"The national security concern is we need those individuals to build ships. We need ships. We need them all in order to deter China," he said.
A Government Accountability Office report in January 2023 found that 10 different classes of Navy ships are experiencing "persistent and worsening" sustainment challenges.
Another GAO report in May 2023 found the Navy's ship maintenance backlog had grown to $1.8 billion.
Wittman is worried about the smaller shipyards which do that kind of work.
"I'm deeply concerned about a lot of these small companies that are struggling. In fact, some of them may have to lay off workers. How ridiculous is that?" he asked.
13News Now reached out to Huntington Ingalls Newport News Shipbuilding, which constructs aircraft carriers and submarines for the Navy. The company declined to comment for this story.