Sequestration would be particularly crippling to American seapower, with $2.1 billion in cuts to the Navy's shipbuilding budget and a $115 million reduction to the Coast Guard's. The Navy would shrink far below its required fleet size -- to levels unseen since World War I.
Because ships are capital-intensive investments, even temporary cuts could weaken production capabilities and lead to the exodus of skilled shipbuilders from the workforce. These high-tech manufacturing jobs are a large and vital component of Mississippi's economy. A well-equipped Navy fortifies America's capacity to respond to threats at home and abroad as countries like North Korea and Iran try to expand their influence.
Source: http://www.wicker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=NewsRoom.WeeklyColumn&ContentRecord_id=9d5d2b05-ab2a-aa5c-3797-aa4756f375c9&Region_id=&Issue_id=
