Courtney Hails EB Expansion into Pfizer Complex as Evidence of Subs' Regional Economic Benefit

Press Release

Congressman Joe Courtney joined Gov. M. Jodi Rell and Electric Boat President John Casey at Pfizer's New London complex to announce a preliminary agreement to purchase buildings and make room for Electric Boat's rapidly growing engineering workforce. The announcement includes an early occupancy lease agreement for two floors of the former Pfizer R&D center beginning in July, and satiates EB's pressing need to move engineers working on the SSBN(x) program to more suitable office space.

"When I came to Congress over three years ago, Electric Boat was facing significant workforce reductions, and, for the first time in 50 years, was not actively designing the next generation of submarines," Courtney said. "Today, the yard is getting ready to build two submarines a year -- a long-sought goal that will bring much-needed stability to the shipyard. What began with $8 million in early seed money for the next generation submarine, which I secured in my first term, has grown into a significant research and development effort that is growing jobs at Electric Boat. Today's announcement illustrates that in eastern Connecticut, submarines create jobs and an economic jolt that resonates across the region."

In 2005, Casey projected that EB would have to reduce its workforce by nearly half -- from 11,000 to 5,000 -- if submarine production remained stagnant at one per-year and additional design work was not initiated.

In addition, when Congressman Courtney took office in 2007, Electric Boat was not designing the next generation submarine for the first time in 50 years, risking the viability and stability of the highly specialized design and engineering workforce. With a drawdown in design work on the Virginia-class and work on the OHIO-class SSBN replacement not set to begin until 2014, the design workforce faced a significant design gap for at least five years or more.

In his first term, Congressman Courtney secured $8.2 million to provide the initial seed money necessary to being the concept and development work on the SSBN replacement, known as SSBN(x). In 2009, Courtney helped to support and pass the Administration's FY10 budget request of $495 million for expanded research, development and conceptual studies for the program. This funding is being put to use in developing the new missile compartment and nuclear propulsion system, and as a result Electric Boat began hiring hundreds of engineers and designers to support the program last year.

"Electric Boat's expansion into the Pfizer buildings is a welcome and direct result of three years of effort and a pinpoint focus on investing in the talented submarine industrial base here in southeastern Connecticut," Courtney said. "These investments and today's action provide stability and certainty to the men and women of Electric Boat, and will ensure that eastern Connecticut remains the Submarine Capital of the World."
The FY11 defense authorization bill, which has already been passed by the House, proposes $672 million for SSBN(x) development. Over the next five years, an estimated $3.7 billion is planned for development of the new SSBN, which begins detailed design in 2015 and lead-ship construction in 2019.

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